Oikos
Encyclopedia : O : OI : OIK : Oikos
- This article is about ancient Greek households. For the ecology journal, see Oikos (journal). For the international sustainability-oriented student association, see Oikos International.
An oikos was the basic unit of society in most Greek city-states, and included the head of the oikos (usually the oldest male), his extended family (wife and children), and slaves living together in one domestic setting. Large oikoi also had farms that were usually tended by the slaves, which were also the basic agricultural unit of the ancient economy.
Today, the term oikos is most often used to describe the social groups and people with whom the most time is spent. Several dozen to several hundred people may be known, but the quality time spent with others is extremely limited: only those to whom quality (face-to-face) time is devoted can be said to be a part of an oikos. Each individual has a primary group that includes relatives and friends who relate to the individual through work, recreation, hobbies, and neighbors; however, the modern oikos includes people that share some sort of social interaction, be it through conversation or simple relation, for at least a total of one hour per week.
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