Vocational Training and Vocational Education in the Ancient World

Abstract

In this paper I examine the artefacts of the earliest societies and cultures known, with a social historical approach. According to our present knowledge, the first early neolithic culture developed in Southern Anatolia. On the basis of the buildings, artefacts and everyday objects revealed by archaeological excavations, we can assume that, the first time in human history, the training of the individual in the specific field of an ancient trade began here. Half a millennium later, in the region of the “fertile crescent”, in the valley of the Tiger and the Euphrates, in Mesopotamia, another culture flourished. Their everyday objects made of metal, wood, stone and textile prove the developed state and high level of craftsmanship. The sophistication of their jewellery and weapons and the design of their buildings suppose advanced specialized knowledge of several trades.
In Hellenic culture, craftsmen and artisans did not belong to the elite of the society. With the spreading of slavery, it became common practice that slaves did most of the manual work. The high aesthetic demands and luxurious lifestyle of Roman citizens were satisfied with everyday objects that were considered “luxury items”, the creation of which required a high level of skills and knowledge.