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6 - Professionalism in Archaic and Classical Sculpture in Athens: The Price of Technē

from Part III - Case Studies of Professions 1: Sculpture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2020

By
Helle Hochscheid
Edited by
Edmund Stewart ,
Edward Harris  and
David Lewis
Edmund Stewart
Affiliation:
University of Nottingham
Edward Harris
Affiliation:
University of Durham
David Lewis
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
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Summary

The common perception of craftsmen in Classical Athens as banausoi who were looked down on by elite circles in society has become more nuanced over recent years. This chapter contributes to this discussion by investigating the range of social positions in evidence for ancient sculptors. Using theories of professionalism and the aspects of need, demand and reward for sculpture, it argues that in terms of economic rewards as well as social capital, sculptors in Classical Athens were rather well off. As such the negative connotations of banausoi are unlikely to match the realities of ancient Athenian life.

Keywords

ProfessionalismClassical AthensAncient Greek SculptureSocial CapitalPosition of Craftsmen
Type
Chapter
Information
Skilled Labour and Professionalism in Ancient Greece and Rome , pp. 205 - 229
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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