Cambridge Scholars Publishing Artisans Rule: Product Standardization and Craft Specialization in Prehistoric Society

Craft production and its significance for understanding social relations are one of the essential topics in prehistoric archaeology. Standardization of raw materials, products, and manufacturing procedures, and the presence or absence of specialized artisans still challenge scholars engaged in the studies of technology, social archaeology, exchange and distribution networks and economy in the past. In this volume, seven case studies covering a chronological span from the Neolithic to La Tène Europe explore the notions of standardization and specialization, the nature of their interrelationship, the methods for assessing their presence in the archaeological record, and their significance for the reconstruction of social relations and emergence of social complexity, while two ethnoarchaeological studies focus on the organization of production and methods of estimation of a number of artisans. This volume brings together research from prominent scholars, based on different theoretical perspectives, thus giving new insight into the fundamental issues related to artisans and their crafts. About the Author Ina Miloglav is Assistant Professor at the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb, Croatia, where she lectures on the documentation and methodology of archaeological sites and the methodology of processing prehistoric pottery. Since 2013, she has organised the international scientific conference “Methodology and Archaeometry” at the University of Zagreb. She has published 28 papers in various academic journals, five book chapters, and one monograph titled Ceramics in Archaeology – Pottery of the Vučedol Culture in the Vinkovci Region (2016). She also edited the book Recycle, Ideas from the Past, and is a member of editorial board of the journals Opuscula Archaeologica and Arhaika. Jasna Vuković is Associate Professor at the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Serbia. Her courses include archaeological methodology, pottery studies, and archaeology and the public. She participated in several excavations, as a research leader for pottery processing, and as a co-director. She has published more than 20 scientific papers in academic journals, and 10 chapters in edited books. She is editor-in-chief of the journal Arhaika and member of the editorial board of Studia Praehistorica. Her research interests include pottery studies, studies of technology, Neolithic archaeology, and history of archaeology.