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[57] αἴθουσαι, the plural, because including both “αἴθουσα αὐλῆς”, and “αἴθουσα δώματος. ἕρκεα” is used for the outdoor premises enclosed by the yard-wall, and so is nearly identical with “αὐλή”. In Od.16. 341“λίπε δ᾽ ἕρκεά τε μεγαρόν τε” is equivalent to ‘left the premises,’ though the sentence has the form of a prothysteron. In Od.20. 164Eumaeus comes in with three swine, and, while he talked with Odysseus, “τοὺς μέν ῤ̔ εἴασε καθ᾽ ἕρκεα καλὰ νέμεσθαι”, sc. in the “αὐλή”. This is corroborated by Od.20. 176, where Melanthius comes in later to the same place with his goats, “καὶ τὰς μὲν κατέδησεν ὑπ᾽ αἰθούσῃ ἐριδούπῳ”. In Od.21. 238 the women are bidden to close the doors, and not to come out “ἤν τις . . κτύπου ἔνδον ἀκούσῃ”

“ἀνδρῶν ἡμετέροισιν ἐν ἕρκεσιν. δόμοι” are the various apartments of the house. The Schol. H. joined “δόμοι ἀνδρῶν”, interpreting the words by “οἱ ἀνδρῶνες”, but this is wrong.

Homer's Odyssey. W. Walter Merry. James Riddell. D. B. Monro. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1886-1901.

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