the attic stelai - The American School of Classical Studies at Athens

THE ATTIC STELAI 265
The word occurs only once in our Stelai (X, 17), where it is the group of letters
which seem to accord best with the traces read by Pittakys.32 It is to be noted, however,
that Pittakys himself restored aypo6 and that the latter word has been coupled with
xcOptov, as is the case in our entry, in Xenophon, H.G., II, 4, 1.
6. OtKLca (IV, 6, 13, 20; VI, 13, 56, 76, 89, 94; VII, 23-24, 25-26, 73, 77; X, 1,
15, 17). Oikia, used in Homer for the nests of birds and bees 3 and occurring in
tragedy only in one papyrus fragment,34 is very common in Aristophanes and prose
texts with the meanings of 'building, household, family,' etc.35 In legal contexts, it
seems to refer generally to a 'private residence.' Finley in his section on houses in
the horoi has recently written, " an analysis of the economics of real security will show
that, in all likelihood, it is. the personal residence that is usually meant by the word
'house' in the horoi." 36
7. OtK6ITE8oV (VI, 100). Oikopedon, a rare word, is found in one passage in
Plato in a context which shows that a building is meant.37 The word occurs once, too,
in Thucydides, in connection with the fortifications of Delium (IV, 90): " They
threw in grape-vines as well as stones and bricks from the neighboring oikopeda which
they pulled down." E. Betant translates the word as ' substructio,' 38 which receives
support from the definitions of Phrynichos 3' and Photius, 40 but the use of WXh-'Oov
and KaOactpovIi-Eq indicates that neighboring buildings are meant.4' In Aristotle, Pol.,
1265b, 24, where Liddell-Scott-Jones incorrectly defines oikopedon as ' site of a house,'
it is clear that buildings are meant.42 Aristotle here is criticizing passages in Plato's
32
See Hesperia, XXII, 1953, p. 291.
33
II., XII, 168, 221; XVI, 261.
34 Euripides, Phaethon, 204. It is also found as a variant reading for E'UTta in Medea, 1130.
35 See Liddell-Scott-Jones, s.v. For the most detailed study of the word and its synonyms, see
J. H. H. Schmidt, Synonymik der griechischen Sprache, II, Leipzig, 1878, pp. 508-526. Buck
(Dictionary, p. 458) states concerning OUKOS, OtKta
and their Indo-European cognates, " In this group
the notion of ' house' as a building is subordinate to that of 'home, settlement, family '."
36 Op. cit., p. 65. It is to be noted that in Delian inscriptions, oikia is the word used for houses
situated in the city of Delos. In the records of the estates of the Temple of Apollo, only one estate
had an oikia. The principal building on the estates was the kleision, which Kent (op. cit., p. 298),
who has collected the evidence, translates as 'farmhouse.'
37 Lg., V, 741c. See Liddell-Scott-Jones, s.v.; E. des Places' translation in the Bude series,
ad loc.; and Finley, op. cit., p. 253, note 50. The translation in the Loeb text of the Leges ('houseplot')
is here incorrect. Lg., V, 740a shows that Plato is making reference to the apportionment
of land and houses.
38 Lexicon Thucydideum, Geneva, 1843, s.v.
39 See Bekker, Anecd., I, p. 32, 2. Cf. the interesting comments of Andreades, Hist. of Gr. Pub.
Finance, pp. 151-152, note 8.
40 Lexicon, ed. S. A. Naber, II, Leiden, 1865, p. 5, OtKO E80V v 7pOV
? KaTaLTTw( OLKOV.
41 See Classen-Steup, Thukydides, ad loc.
42
So Barker, op. cit., p. 59.