ABSTRACT
Any attempt to penetrate the oikos itself and to assess the quality of personal relationships
within it, the degree of intimacy and affection existing between its members, and thus the
amount of influence or power which a woman might have had over husband, father,
brothers, or sons runs the risk of exceeding the limits of available evidence and the area
within which worthwhile sociological generalization can be made. Little is known about
life within the oikos and, on a priori grounds, it would be foolish to expect that
unequivocal statements could be made about what are, by definition, individual
relationships. Nevertheless, snippets of information exist that reveal something of the
public ideals of private life-and, on occasion, they also afford glimpses of its reality.
