Domestic Spaces and Mythical Time Archetypes of the Cosmic Order in Greek Houses in the 8th century BC

Abstract

This paper considers the arrangement of domestic space as depicted in the Odyssey. Emphasis is laid on its symbolic aspect: as a place where a range of objects with cosmological significance were concentrated. These objects were integral elements in the arrangement of human dwellings, but they were simultaneously present in mythical space, where they acted as mechanisms supporting the cosmic order. Besides, these artefacts were also connected to the moment in mythical time when the cosmic order was established, and thus they implemented a harmonising and ordering function. With the presence of these architectural elements in domestic space, human dwellings could have been perceived as a kind of “cosmic house”, connected both to mythical space and mythical time.