Poiein - graphein

the social status of the craftsmen-artists o f Attic vases

Abstract

The production of Attic vases was very important in Ancient times, both in quality and quantity, and covered a long period from the Vlth century through to the IVth century B.C. Poiein-graphein, meaning “to make and to paint”, were the two activities which the artists-craftsmen in Athens and surrounding areas dedicated themselves to. By examining some of those vases with the epigraphic and literary traditions of those craftsmen, this study attempts to define the role and social status that those Athenian artists held in their society. In addition, the study attempts to show how that manual activity fit in to the specific labour ideology of that period of History.