Classical Studies 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Patrilocal Residence, Kyrios, Fraternities And Sororities

• School: Western University
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: Classical Studies 1000
• Professor: Robert Stanley Brown

Document Summary

The word family" is derived from latin familia. The latin word originally referred to the slaves in a household oikos is the greek counterpart. Family = a co-resident group, many (though not all) of whose members were kin or individuals related by marriage: patrilateral kinship was more common than matrilateral in the oikos. Focus on male side vs female side. Marriage was patrilocal (women moved from natal or birth family to conjugal family (family of her husband): nuclear family. The senior male was the kyrios (the possessor) took charge of relations with the outside world held legal authority (esp. over the women of the oikos) translated in christian sense as lord. In myth having to side with husband or brother almost always side with brother. But in public they were associated w husbands family. Divorce was easy send woman back to natal family w dowry most common reason was failure to produce a male heir.