Theréseau opératoireof Urbanization

Craft Collaborations and Organization in an Early Medieval Workshop in Ribe, Denmark

Bibliographic Data

ID6044495
AuthorsSarah Croix (0000-0002-3956-6728), Michael Neiß (0000-0003-0252-6375), Søren Michael Sindbæk (0000-0002-1254-1256)
Year2019
Volume29
Issue2
Pages345-364
Publication date2019-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCambridge Archaeological Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0959-7743 • E-ISSN: 1474-0540
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0959774318000525
OpenAlexW2911005936
LanguageFR
Citations received14
References cited38

This paper proposes that the organization of crafts may be a key catalyst in the emergence of urban communities. This is argued through a reassessment of finds from a non-ferrous metal workshop from the eighth century excavated in Ribe, Denmark. We analyse 3D laser scans in order to classify previously unidentified mould fragments, which show that the workshop produced a range of metal parts for composite products like wooden chests, belts and horse harnesses. Such production required an operational network, orréseau opératoire, to combine the necessary skills and expertise of several artisanal specializations. The need for collaboration between specialized craftspeople would have been a decisive incentive for the formation of permanent communities of an urban character. These observations point to a neglected bottom-up driver for the development of early urbanization

Archaeology · Craft · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Urbanization · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History

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