The Household as the Foundation of Aristotle’s Polis

Among ancient writers Aristotle offers the most profound analysis of the ancient Greek household and its relationship to the state. The household was not the family in the modern sense of the term, but a much more powerful entity with significant economic, political, social, and educational resources. The success of the polis in all its forms lay in the reliability of households to provide it with the kinds of citizens it needed to ensure its functioning. In turn, the state offered the members of its households a unique opportunity for humans to flourish. This book explains how Aristotle thought household and state interacted within the polis.

• Sets in historical perspective Aristotle’s understanding of the role of the household in the state • Contrasts ancient and modern households and their roles in ancient and contemporary states • Challenges current assumptions about the role of women in the ancient Greek household and state

1. Ancient and modern household; 2. The polis as community and polity; 3. Polis households: possessions; 4. Polis households: Labor needs of the oikos; 5. Non-polis households; 6. The perfection of the household; 7. Philia as bond between oikos and polis; 8. Plato’s Paideai; 9. Aristotle’s Paideia.

\' … an invaluable compendium of information from multiple sources that will deepen any reader\'s understanding of the material conditions of the ancient household …\'  – BMCR

\'The work will be of great interest to those seeking an economic and cultural background to Aristotle\'s political theory and will provide scholars with a greater sensitivity to the practicalities of ancient economic and civic life … In sum, this book is an invaluable compendium of information from multiple sources that will deepen any reader\'s understanding of the material conditions of the ancient household and the nature of the local and city-wide institutions that inculcated the values of the community.\'  – Cathal Woods, Virginia Wesleyan College