ABSTRACT
The textual archives of Bronze Age sites such as Ugarit, Atchana, Ebla and Mari provides a useful body of information about the way in which crafts were organised. State control of crafts can be deduced from architectural evidence such as the location of workshop structures within palace or temple complexes. Glass factories at Malkata and perfume or oil workshops at Mari appear to have been located within the palace in this way. Workshop is used to refer to the products of a single region or group of craftsmen that are linked by a uniform style and technique. A number of workplaces are known in the Near East dating from the Early Bronze Age through to the Early Roman period. Debitage and debris from the production process can be crucial evidence for identifying actual working areas. A study of modern Near Eastern workplaces can provide useful analogies for the way in which ancient stone vessel workshops may have operated.
