Carving a Professional Identity: The Occupational Epigraphy of the Roman Latin West

Description

Carving a Professional Identity: The occupational epigraphy of the Roman Latin West presents the results of long-term research into the occupational epigraphy from the Latin-language provinces of the Roman Empire. It catalogues stone epigraphs of independent professionals (thus excluding state workers, imperial slaves, freedmen and military personnel), comprising some 690 people, providing quantitative as well as qualitative analyses of the raw data. A glossary translating the occupational titles is also included. The book reveals a very lively work market, where specialisation responded to demand and brought social and economic status to the worker. The coherence of epigraphic habits and manifestations within a professional group, along with all the other existing clues for a rather unitary use of symbols, endorse once more the existence of a Roman provincial, commercial, middle class. Table of Contents I. Introductory notes II. Historiographic coordinates for Roman-era occupational epigraphy Professions, occupations and Roman economy Ancient middle classes Historiographic outline III. Quantitative analyses on the primary data Demography and representativeness Encoding the attested occupations Space and time People and monuments IV. People and professional identities Tales of trade and friendship Doctors – the healing science Crafting for a living Entertaining the masses Case study: local identities V. Concluding remarks Index Glossary Catalogue References Abbreviations used in the catalogue