23.  The Plan of a Greek House.—­The plan of a Greek house naturally varies infinitely according to the size of the land plot, the size of the owner’s family, his own taste, and wealth.  It will usually be rectangular, with the narrower side toward the street; but this is not invariable.  In the larger houses there will be two courts (aule), one behind the other, and each with its own circuit of dependent chambers.  The court first entered will be the Andronitis (the Court of the Men), and may be even large enough to afford a considerable promenade for exercise.  Around the whole of the open space run lines of simple columns, and above the opening swings an awning if the day is very hot.  In the very center rises a small stone alter with a statue of Zeus the Protector (Zeus Herkeios), where the father of the family will from time to time offer sacrifice, acting as the priest for the household.  Probably already on the alter there has been laid a fresh garland; if not, the newcomers from the Agora have now fetched one.

+---------------------+
|                     |
|        Garden       |
|                     |
+----+-----------+----+  Conjectural Plan for the House
| Y  |     D     | Y  |     of A Wealthy Athenian.
|    |           |    |
+--+=+-----=-----+=+--+    A  = Alter of Zeus Herkelos.
|  |               |  |    B  = Alter of Hestia.
|Y =   o o   o o   = Y|    C  = Entrance Hall.
|  |   o       o   |  |    D  = Kitchen.
+—­+ GYNAECONITIS  +—­+    T  = Thalmos.
|  |   o       o   |  |    T’ = Anti-thalmos.
|Y =   o o   o o   = Y|    X  = Rooms for the Men.
|  |               |  |    Y  = Rooms for the Women.
+--+=+-----=-+---+=+--+
|    |       |B o|    |
|  T |       +---+ T’ |
|    |  andron   |    |
+——­+           +——­+
| X  |           |  X |
+—­+=+——­’ ’——­+=+—­+
|X =  o o     o o  = X|
+—­+  o    A    o  +—­+
|X =  o    O    o  = X|
+—­+  andronitis   +—­+
|X =  o o     o o  = X|
+—­+=+-=-+   +-=-+=+—­+
|    |   |   |   |    |
| X  | X | C | X |  X |
|    |   |   |   |    |
+——­+—–­+===+—–­+——­+

The Andronitis is the true living room of the house:  here the master will receive his visitors, here the male slaves will work, and the women also busy themselves (promptly retiring, however, on the appearance of masculine strangers).  The decoration is very plain:  the walls are neatly tinted with some kind of wash; the floor is of simple plaster, or, in a humbler house, common earth pounded hard.  Under the colonnade at all four sides open the various chambers, possibly twelve in all.  They really are cells or compartments rather than rooms, small and usually lighted only by their doors.  Some are used for storerooms, some for sleeping closets for the male slaves and for the grown-up sons of the house, if there are any.  Dark, ill ventilated, and most scantily furnished, it is no wonder that the average Athenian loves the Agora better than his chamber.