ABSTRACT
Self-identification by occupation is an intriguing problem because relatively little is known about indiviual workers, such as artisans. 1 However, many artisans lived in each city to meet the needs of the citizens, both at a private and an institutional level. 2 The following ruling about artisans, De excusationibus artificum, ‘On the exemptions of artisans,’ suggests independent workshops run as family enterprises in the fourth century AD. This rescript, dated to the end of the reign of Constantine, refers to artisans who enjoyed a level of autonomy in their occupations and reflects their importance to the government.
We command that artisans who dwell in each city and who practice the skills included in the appended list shall be free from all compulsory public services, since indeed their leisure should be spent in learning these skills whereby they may desire the more to become more proficient themselves and to instruct their children.
