engleski

Applied Arts in Rome

The cohesion of the political system allowed unimpeded freedom of movement to enterprising merchants from Asia, Hispania and Gaul, facilitated the widest initiative to contractors from all the provinces, and provided steady supply of all necessary raw materials to the craftsmen from the City – Rome. The ancient industry had an entirely different character, both in the way it developed as well as in the production system: it was an empire of people—often slaves, though—in which every individual had a chance to express their personal talents, and every product bore the mark of the artisan who made it. It is therefore all but impossible in the world of antiquity to set a precise border between industry and craft, because industry, even when diversified and technically organized with a division of labour of some kind, still consists of specialized craftsmen. When we discuss applied arts, we certainly have to point out the role of the craftsmen, regardless of whether they had signed their product or it had been left without a mark, the seal of a workshop or the master craftsman.

applied arts; Rome; craftsman; jewelery; luxury goods; Roman Empire; Roman provinces

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