The object of this research is the study of the hearth in the ancient greek culture in reference with its conceptual dimensions. The hearth is examined as a usuable object which serves the needs of the house but also as a sacred symbol in ancient Greeks' thought. This dual nature of the hearth is detected on the one hand in the private space of the house and on the other hand in its public expression in the city. Initially, the research makes reference of the mythological elements concerning goddess Hestia and explains the way that her essence is perceived through household and public cult. Then, the use of household and public hearth is specified based on archaeological evidence, while elements that determine its symbolic meaning for family life, hospitability, civic life, etc, are searched in texts of ancient greek culture scholars.

Extra details are searched in Homer's Odyssey. They concern the presence of hearth in domestic everyday life and describe its use and its significance for people at that time. Concepts which are relevant to the hearth, events that take place around it, people that are referred and the way that all these are explained are significant elements of ancient thought and indicate the general conceptions about heath. Through this search a more specific image of the dual nature of hearth is shaped, verifying the coexistence of sacred and non sacred element, while unanswered questions and obscurities concerning hearth and referring mostly to its space and use are expressed as well.