At home around member of a former empire (4)

I believe the answer is:

inca

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'a former empire' is the definition.
(historical South American empire)

'at home around' is the wordplay.
'at home' becomes 'in' ('I'm in' can mean 'I'm at home').
'around' becomes 'ca' (circa).
'in'+'ca'='INCA'

'member of' acts as a link.
This may not be correct. Some or all of it may be part of another bit of the clue.

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(Other definitions for inca that I've seen before include "Old Peruvian people" , "lived in Peru" , "Pre-conquest South American people" , "Foreign ruler" , "Ancient South American" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

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