13.2 Crafts and Manufacturing

Ancient Greece was a hub of craftsmanship and innovation. From pottery and metalworking to textiles and shipbuilding, various industries thrived in different city-states. These crafts were essential to the Greek economy, providing goods for local use and export.

Most production occurred in small workshops run by master craftsmen. Larger operations, like mines and shipyards, employed hundreds of workers. Both free artisans and slaves contributed to manufacturing, with specialized skills highly valued in the workforce.

Crafts and Manufacturing in Ancient Greece

Major Industries and Centers of Production

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• Pottery was a major craft industry producing functional and decorative items (amphorae, kraters, kylikes, figurines)
  • Major pottery centers included Athens, Corinth, and Sparta
• Metalworking, especially with bronze, was important for producing weapons, armor, tools, jewelry, and decorative objects
  • Centers of metalworking included Corinth and Chalcis
• Textile production, especially of wool and linen, was a significant industry that employed many women
  • Textiles were used for clothing, sails, and trade
• Woodworking and carpentry were essential for constructing buildings, ships, furniture, and agricultural implements
  • Shipbuilding was especially important given the maritime nature of the Greek world
• Stonemasonry and sculpture were highly developed crafts used in constructing temples, public buildings, and monuments
  • The Parthenon is an example of the skill of Greek stonemasons and sculptors

Specialization and Scale of Production

• Most craft production took place in small workshops, often within households
  • Masters would oversee a handful of workers, apprentices, and slaves
• Larger scale production occurred in industries like mining, quarrying, and shipbuilding
  • The silver mines of Laurion in Attica employed up to 30,000 slaves at their peak in the 5th century BCE
  • Major monumental building projects like the Acropolis required large specialized teams of craftsmen working in a coordinated manner

Workshop Organization and Labor Division

Structure and Hierarchy of Workshops

• Craft workshops were primarily small operations overseen by a master craftsman
  • Masters owned the workshop, tools, and materials and directed the work
  • Apprentices learned skills under the master while contributing labor
  • Slaves and hired workers provided additional labor under the master's supervision
• Larger workshops, like shield factories or sculpture studios, could employ over 100 workers with a more complex hierarchy
  • The sculptor Polykleitos' workshop is estimated to have employed 50-100 workers including many slaves

Specialization and Division of Labor

• Division of labor was common, with different workers specializing in specific tasks to improve efficiency
  • In a pottery workshop there would be specialists in throwing, painting, and firing
  • A sculpture workshop would have specialists in carving, polishing, painting, and bronzeworking
• In larger enterprises like silver mines or ship construction, work was divided among multiple specialized workshops that would coordinate to complete the final product
• Family members, including women, were often involved in different aspects of craft production within a household workshop
  • Women commonly worked in textile production, spinning, weaving and dyeing cloth

Slaves vs Free Artisans in Production

Role and Status of Slave Craftsmen

• Slaves were widely used in craft production, working alongside free artisans in workshops
  • Slaves with specialized skills were highly valued and commanded high prices
  • In Athens, it's estimated that many workshops relied heavily on slave labor
    • The shield factory of Lysias employed 120 slaves
    • The lamp maker Hyperides used 32 slaves in his workshop
• Slave miners worked in grueling conditions in places like the Laurion silver mines
  • Life expectancy for miners was very low and they were sometimes chained in place
• Skilled slave craftsmen had better conditions but were still viewed as property
  • Some masters allowed skilled slaves to earn income and even purchase their freedom

Free Artisans and Metics

• Free artisans could be independent master craftsmen who owned their own workshops and tools
  • They would produce goods for sale in the agora and could become wealthy
  • The potter Euphronios and sculptor Phidias are examples of successful free artisans
• Some free artisans worked on commission in the workshops of wealthy patrons or on public projects
  • Phidias oversaw teams of artisans in producing the monumental statues for the Parthenon
• Metics (resident foreigners) were often employed as skilled artisans in cities like Athens
  • They were barred from owning land but could operate workshops
  • Lysias and his brother Polemarchus, wealthy metic shield makers, employed slave craftsmen

Technological Innovations and Trade

Technologies Enabling Mass Production

• The potter's wheel, introduced around 2000 BCE, allowed for mass production of pottery with more uniform and intricate shapes
  • This greatly expanded the pottery industry and trade in fine wares
• Advancements in bronze casting, such as the lost-wax method, enabled production of large-scale, high-quality bronze statues and vessels
  • Greek bronzes were prized exports across the Mediterranean
• Innovations in textile production like the upright loom increased output of cloth
  • Textile workshops in Miletus became major exporters of fine woolen cloth

Innovations Facilitating Trade and Commerce

• Innovations in shipbuilding, like the mortise-and-tenon hull construction and double-level oar system, made Greek ships sturdier, faster, and more maneuverable
  • This facilitated long-distance trade and the establishment of colonies
  • Shipwrecks show Greek products reached as far as the Black Sea and Egypt
• The introduction of coinage in the 7th century BCE standardized values and facilitated long-distance trade
  • City-states minted silver and gold coins, with the Athenian owl tetradrachm becoming a standard
  • Coinage stimulated the export and import of craft goods and raw materials
• The spread of writing and literacy enabled record-keeping, contracts, and communications that supported expanded trade networks