Skilled Labour and Professionalism in Ancient Greece and Rome
Author | : Edmund Stewart |
Publisher | : Cambridge University Press |
Total Pages | : 413 |
Release | : 2020-09-03 |
ISBN-10 | : 9781108879347 |
ISBN-13 | : 1108879349 |
Rating | : 4/5 (349 Downloads) |
Download or read book Skilled Labour and Professionalism in Ancient Greece and Rome written by Edmund Stewart and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-09-03 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a history of ancient Greek and Roman professionals: doctors, seers, sculptors, teachers, musicians, actors, athletes and soldiers. These individuals were specialist workers deemed to possess rare skills, for which they had undergone a period of training. They operated in a competitive labour market in which proven expertise was a key commodity. Success in the highest regarded professions was often rewarded with a significant income and social status. Rivalries between competing practitioners could be fierce. Yet on other occasions, skilled workers co-operated in developing associations that were intended to facilitate and promote the work of professionals. The oldest collegial code of conduct, the Hippocratic Oath, a version of which is still taken by medical professionals today, was similarly the creation of a prominent ancient medical school. This collection of articles reveals the crucial role of occupation and skill in determining the identity and status of workers in antiquity.