Seminar: Everyday work in the classical world

The Classical Archaeology Graduate Seminar for Michaelmas Term 2011 will focus on the role of everyday work – and especially manufacturing – in the cities of the Greek and Roman world. Work was a central aspect of social life in urban as well as rural communities, and shops and workshops were a defining element in urban landscapes. The key question which the seminar will address is how we can use the evidence for everyday work in understanding the social and cultural dynamics of urban communities in classical antiquity. Rather than examining production technology or economic history, this seminar will therefore focus primarily on the social and cultural aspects of crafts and trade, with speakers discussing the spatial position of manufacturing establishments in their urban contexts, the iconography of crafts and craftsmen, and the social contexts in which manufacturing was done.

The seminar is organized by Dr. Janet DeLaine and Dr. Miko Flohr, and will take place on Monday, 5pm in the Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies. Speakers include Serafina Cuomo, Lin Foxhall, Vladimir Stissi, Thomas Mannack, Alex Mullen, Peter Stewart, Nicolas Monteix, and Miko Flohr.