Going to Work in the Ancient Mediterranean
CLS-STDY 117
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Description
This course explores the social history of work in Greek and Roman antiquity. What kinds of jobs did people have and to what extent was social mobility possible? What was the relationship between personal identity and one’s profession? What conditions promoted or hindered technological innovation and how did innovation impact labor? How much have women’s contributions to the ancient economy been overlooked? And how can we study the lives of those working at the margins of society, who left few material and textual traces—the enslaved, the urban poor, and the rural peasantry? We will address these questions and more, as we survey a wide variety of ancient textual sources (in translation), archaeological evidence, and important theoretical perspectives on work.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
