Le travail des peaux et du cuir dans le monde grec antique

BOOK REVIEWS/COMPTES RENDUS 203 situate in the reader in real space as Newby deftly moves between different media and contexts. This wide-ranging work will be most useful to advanced-level classics students, post-graduates, and specialists. City University of New York Sarah Madole Le travail des peaux et du cuir dans le monde grec antique: Tentative d'une arch eologie du disparu appliqu ee au cuir. By Benoit Dercy. Naples: Centre Jean Bérard 45. 2015. Pp. vi, 266, ills. Ancient Greek leatherwork has received little scholarly attention, in part perhaps because of the general absence of leather objects in archaeological finds. This has formed a very real handicap in understanding the development of leatherworking in antiquity, but Benoit Dercy here amply redresses that lack of information. In particular, the author deserves the gratitude of all non-classicists interested in ancient technology for making a huge collection of Greek and Latin texts available in both the original and in translation, and for his thorough discussion of contentious issues concerning these sources. For the first time it is possible for archaeologists such as myself to appreciate the true richness of the Greek legacy. As I cannot comment on linguistic aspects, my focus will be on the contribution this study makes to the history of leatherworking technology. The sheer quantity and range of the literary sources gathered here is remarkable: from plays to figures of speech and papyri, covering the entire span of Greek antiquity from the sixth century b.c. to the sixth century a.d. and beyond. Four appendices tabulate the sources consulted, summarising the information and clarifying the frequency of usage. The author has made a very real effort to ensure accessibility and ease of reference, with a clear and logical arrangement of the subject matter, an extensive bibliography, and ample means of cross-referencing. Following an introduction to methodology and the practical aspects of leather technology in general, Chapter One (17–58) examines the materials and procedures used to transform pelts into leather. The lengthy second chapter (59–156) covers every conceivable purpose for which leather might be used, from shields and shoes to dildos and the cord Athenian youths used to neaten up their foreskins. The list is long and sometimes amusing, beyond the wildest imaginings of the archaeologist confronted with surviving leatherwork from the Roman or medieval periods. The literature presents a lively picture of the demeanour of the shoemaker at work, using his hands and teeth as well as metal, bone, or wooden tools, something not easily conjured up by archaeological means alone and emphasising the importance of integrating all sources of information in technological studies. There is a large amount of practical information buried in allusions and even names, and it is very much to the author’s credit that he has explored such diverse references. Chapter Three (159–186) explores issues concerning the workshops that produced leather, looking at their degree of specialisation, their organisation, whether their workforce was slave or free, and the nature of the interaction between the figures depicted on vases or reliefs. The author correctly points out that interpretations of these interactions are strongly coloured by current understanding of the Greek economy, and it is here particularly that his meticulous discussion of the sources makes a significant contribution to the debate. Although it may be questioned whether poets and writers always used 204 PHOENIX terms and expressions in an exact, technical, sense, the texts offer unique insights into procedures and practices, for instance the role of sacrifice in the supply of skins and the presence of child labour. It is interesting to note the continuation of simpler, traditional skin treatments in the countryside, while in town larger scale professional tanneries were in operation. This is a useful reminder that technological change is a gradual process. In the final chapter (187–200) the author examines tanners and leatherworkers through the prism of satirists and philosophers. Here, as well as in the analysis of fables and similes that are quoted throughout the study (collected in Annex 4, 221–224), the author presents us with an insight into the attitudes of contemporaries to tanning and leatherworking , industries that were regarded

Antique · Art · Humanities · Late Antiquity · Visual arts · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Classics · History · Law, logistics, and international trade