Chapter 15 Women’s Work? Who Made Textiles in the Ancient Greek World?
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Abstract
Although it is often assumed that women were responsible for most textile manufacture in ancient Greece, this idea has regularly been challenged. This paper considers the arguments that have been made in favour of a substantial presence of professional male weavers and their role in Greek economies. Analysis of the sources used to support the importance of male weavers suggests that it has been incorrectly and inappropriately interpreted and that in reality there is little positive or secure evidence for the direct involvement of men in the manufacture of clothing and household textiles with the exception of a very small number of male slaves. Textile manufacture, then, really was ‘women’s work’.