Silk Weaving in Ancient China: From Geometric Figures to Patterns of Pictorial Likeness
The advantages of the silk thread were probably already recognised by Chi- nese stone-age women employed in weaving. If maximum benefit was to be got from its exceptional length, then it was only logical to dress the loom with a warp of silk threads.
The comparative economics of slavery in the Greco-Roman world
This paper has two goals. The first one is to improve our understanding of the critical determinants of the large-scale use of slave labor in different sectors of historical economies…My second objective is to explain differences in the relative prevalence of chattel slavery in different periods and parts of the ancient Mediterranean world with the help of data on prices and wages…
Farming in the ancient Greek world: how should the small free producers be defined?
The peasant is often defined as a small self-sufficient producer who employs family labour to work a mixed farm. Living in little rural communities and a specific tradi- tional culture constitute other aspects of his specific situation. Agrarian societies often present social differentiations and involve several rapports between cultivators and the landed gentry.