The Value of Making (Hardcover)

Helle Hochscheid

ISBN 10: 2503595197 / ISBN 13: 9782503595191

Published by Brepols N.V., Turnhout, 2021

About this Item

Hardcover. This volume presents new scholarship on the value and valuing of craft production in ancient societies around the Mediterranean. Ancient economic history, especially when approached archaeologically, has typically - and with good reason - focused upon the objects that were produced by craftspeople, their form and style, and their distribution. Typological approaches necessary for sorting and analysing large bodies of material evidence have also prioritized the final form of artefacts. Yet it was first and foremost the craftspeople behind these items who were responsible for an item's functionality, its purpose, and its value, and these roles have in recent years received fresh attention in anthropological and sociological studies. The contributions gathered in this volume revolve around the role of makers, their handling of materials, and their place in networks of production and consumption, whilst at the same time remembering that craftspeople were never lone forces but depended on wider networks of supplies, colleagues, and consumers, as well as more ephemeral considerations such as aesthetics and religious value. Through this approach, the volume sheds new light not only on a range of crafts and materials from the ancient world, but also on the value of making and the making of value in ancient Mediterranean societies. 74 b/w illus, 46 col illus & 12 b/w tbls. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9782503595191

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Value of Making (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Brepols N.V., Turnhout
• Publication Date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 2503595197
• ISBN 13: 9782503595191
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

This volume presents new scholarship on the value and valuing of craft production in ancient societies around the Mediterranean. Ancient economic history, especially when approached archaeologically, has typically - and with good reason - focused upon the objects that were produced by craftspeople, their form and style, and their distribution. Typological approaches necessary for sorting and analysing large bodies of material evidence have also prioritized the final form of artefacts. Yet it was first and foremost the craftspeople behind these items who were responsible for an item's functionality, its purpose, and its value, and these roles have in recent years received fresh attention in anthropological and sociological studies. The contributions gathered in this volume revolve around the role of makers, their handling of materials, and their place in networks of production and consumption, whilst at the same time remembering that craftspeople were never lone forces but depended on wider networks of supplies, colleagues, and consumers, as well as more ephemeral considerations such as aesthetics and religious value. Through this approach, the volume sheds new light not only on a range of crafts and materials from the ancient world, but also on the value of making and the making of value in ancient Mediterranean societies.