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Poiesis

Manufacturing in Classical Athens

Peter Acton

Offers a new paradigm for analyzing ancient manufacturing, drawing on the author's business background
Complements political, military, and literary perspectives

Poiesis

Manufacturing in Classical Athens

Peter Acton

Description

Poiesis brings together archaeological finds, ancient texts and inscriptions, recent scholarly analysis, and the expertise of modern craftsmen to investigate every known facet of Athens' manufacturing activities. Despite the fact that Athenians consumed great quantities of manufactured goods, and around half of the residents of classical Athens can be shown to have been dependent for survival on manufacturing in some form, the subject has been almost completely neglected by historians. The book draws on the analytical techniques of contemporary business economics—supply and demand, competition theory, and risk-return analysis—to explain events and choices. Manufacturing operations are classified in an original framework that explains why certain segments were suited to the sole craftsman and others to teams of slaves, and deduces earnings potential based upon barriers to entry and competitive differentiation. The result is a new and refreshing angle on how Athenian society operated that complements political, military, and literary perspectives, with important and often surprising implications. Among other insights the analysis shows how fragmented industry structures were fundamental to the workings of Athenian democracy by enabling citizens to supplement their income through casual manufacturing activity.

Poiesis

Manufacturing in Classical Athens

Peter Acton

Foreword
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Introduction
A. Athens, the Manufacturing City
B. Original Sources
i. Ancient Literature
ii. Archaeology and Epigraphy
C. Methodology
i. Embeddedness and Empirical Analysis
ii. Theories of Firm Size
iii. The Theory of Competitive Advantage
iv. Competitive Advantage and Industry Structure
v. Applying the Competitive Advantage Framework
Chapter 2: Industry Formation
A. Early Manufacturing
B. Homer and the Households of the Rich
C. Hesiod and the Peasant Economy
D. Empirical Evidence
i. Metalworking
ii. Leatherwork
iii. Cosmetics and Perfumes
iv. Textiles
E. Supply and Demand in a Competitive Market
Chapter 3: The Pottery Industry
A. The Evidence
i. Original Texts
ii. Pots
iii. Potteries and Kilns
iv. Stamps and Graffiti
v. Vase Paintings
B. Industry and Workshop Size
C. Labour Force
i. The Process of Making Pots
ii. Staffing Needs
iii. Justifying a Full-Time Team
D. Bases for Differentiation
E. Subsequent Changes in Competitive Dynamics and Industry Structure
F. Summary
Chapter 4: Mining, Metals and Armour
A. Mining
B. Ore Processing
C. General Metalworking
D. Jewellery and Ornaments
E. Coinage
F. Bronze Armour
G. Shield Manufacture
H. Knives
I. Summary
Chapter 5: Textiles, Clothing and Footwear
A. Textiles and Clothing
i. Spinning and Weaving
ii. Scouring and Finishing
B. Footwear
i. Tanning
ii. Shoemaking
C. Summary
Chapter 6: Woodworking
A. Furniture
B. General and Specialised Woodworking Segments
C. Boat Building
i. The Trireme: Development and Configuration
ii. Responsibility for Building Triremes
iii. Manufacturing: the Hull
iv. Manufacturing: Components
v. Shipbuilding and Supplying Industries
D. Summary
Chapter 7: Construction Industries
A. Public Buildings
B. Monumental Statues
C. Private Housing and Infrastructure
D. Summary
Chapter 8: Food, Drink and Personal Care
A. Agricultural Products
i. The Athenian Diet
ii. Processing
iii. Food Service
B. Cosmetics, Perfumes and Medicines
C. Summary
Chapter 9: Athens' Manufacturers
A. Citizen Investors
B. Citizen Craftsmen
C. Women
D. Foreign Residents
E. Slaves
Coda
Athenian Currency
Appendix: Quantifying Manufacturing Preparation
A. Supply Analysis
B. Demand Analysis
Secondary Sources
Photo Credits
Index

Poiesis

Manufacturing in Classical Athens

Peter Acton

Author Information

Peter Acton, has a degree in Classics from Oxford University, an MBA from Stanford Business School, and a Ph.D. in Ancient History from the University of Melbourne. He was a Vice President of The Boston Consulting Group from 1986 to 1999.

Peter Acton has a degree in Classics from Oxford University, an MBA from Stanford Business School, and a Ph.D. in Ancient History from the University of Melbourne. He was a Vice President of The Boston Consulting Group from 1986 to 1999.

Poiesis

Manufacturing in Classical Athens

Peter Acton

Reviews and Awards

"Acton takes on the whole of the manufacturing landscape of the classical Athenian polis with remarkable success .. it is difficult to find fault with his book, and some hard-won insights result from his comprehensive approach." - Michael Kulikowski, London Review of Books

"Peter Acton's book revolutionizes the current views on the ancient Athenian economy. Against old orthodoxies, it proves that just like the towns of medieval and early modern word and despite the inevitable differences in institutional framework, Athens was an 'industrious city.' The Weberian model of the 'ancient consumer city' is dead and should definitely be replaced by that of the 'manufacturing city.'" - Alain Bresson, University of Chicago

"Only highly fragmentary information has survived concerning any aspect of Athenian manufacturing, and almost all of this scanty evidence is preserved merely in passing in works devoted to cultural and/or literary aspects of Athenian high culture, or in material remains lacking context. This void has precluded-until now-any serious scholarly investigation of Athenian manufacturing. Acton's efforts to place the fragmentary ancient evidence within a matrix of considerations developed by modern business analysts and consultants, supplemented by insights from modern craft activities, augmented by comparative evidence skillfully selected and honed by the author, here generates a new, and persuasive, paradigm relating to Athenian manufacturing. It is a pioneering academic advance." - Edward Cohen, University of Pennsylvania

"Poiesis is a remarkable book, which gives us not just the first detailed look at classical Athenian manufacturing in more than a century, but also a whole new way for thinking about ancient industry. Drawing important lessons from his own extensive experience as a business consultant, Peter Acton has made a major contribution to the ongoing debates about the structure and performance of the ancient Greek economy." - Ian Morris, Stanford University

Poiesis

Manufacturing in Classical Athens

Peter Acton

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