ABSTRACT
By far the larger part of their daily work went to produce perishable things, drink that had to be consumed the same day, grain that barely lasted to the next harvest, clothing that wore out in a few months. Even their houses and beds only lasted about ten years with much repairing. Durable goods were rare and valued accordingly. They were distributed on quite a different basis from the things in what we can call (not very accurately) the subsistence sphere of the economy.
