Des « ouvrières » de la laine et du sexe à Athènes (ive siècle avant J.-C.)

Abstract

The building Z3 of the Kerameikos in Athens offers a very good example of the questions arising when studying women at work in the ivth century BC (and outside the private context of the household). The disposition of the rooms and the material excavated lead to the identification of building Z3 as a textile fabric and, perhaps, a place for prostitution. Without offering answers to all questions about the organization of labor in the well-known Athenian workshops area, the document highlights some important features: the systematic use of slave-labor, the confusion between housing and working place, the versatility of activities, including sexual tasks.