Lod Mosaic Footprints

[JGolomb]

I wasn't too excited by this story from yesterday (or maybe the day before), but it's getting pretty broad coverage so felt irresponsible not to share with my UNRV friends.

 

There's a slightly new take in the focus of this article

Petrified Footprints Suggest Romans Used Children to Make the Lod Mosaic

 

from the story:

Footprints left by the artists and workers who made the largest and most beautiful Roman-era mosaic in Israel 1,700 years ago have been discovered in the plaster underneath the mosaic. Archaeologists were in the process of conserving the famous Lod Mosaic when they found the imprints of bare feet and sandals shown clearly in the plaster bed

[Ludovicus]

Fascinating find! Here from La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, is a photo of the overlying mosaic, one of the most beautiful I've seen. Click on "successivo" to see more images of the footprints under the mosaic.

 

http://www.repubblica.it/2008/12/gallerie/...-mosaico/5.html

Edited October 26, 2009 by Ludovicus

[sylla]

I'm sure the Romans and other ancient populations were more than able to use children as workforce, but frankly those footpints could have been there for any perfectly innocent explanation, let say an accident.

 

After all, I'm also sure that all of us have seen all kind of footprints in our urban cement floors.

[Kosmo]

Footprint that size could also be of adult women.

[Ludovicus]

Footprint that size could also be of adult women.

 

 

Good point!

[Kosmo]

or a midget gladiator...

[M. Porcius Cato]

Child labor has existed for millenia and has only recently become a scandal of Dickensian proportions. Even as recently as John Locke's day, children began work as early as age 3. If anything were to be unusual about child labor in the Roman world, it would be that we don't see much more evidence of it than this one small footprint.

[sylla]

Especially because children were rather well represented within the massive chattel slavery of the time.

 

All that said, it would be interesting to know which kind of laboral activities did Locke observe being done by 3 year-old children.

[M. Porcius Cato]

All that said, it would be interesting to know which kind of laboral activities did Locke observe being done by 3 year-old children.

 

Best I recall, it was sweeping around the farm, carrying things, and light housework. Also seem to recall that there was a special down-filled garment for children of this age so that if they fell over, the pillow-like dress would catch their fall. The point of this labor wasn't really to put them to much production as much as to prepare them for their later responsibilities.

[M. Porcius Cato]

Especially because children were rather well represented within the massive chattel slavery of the time.

 

Actually, were they? Chattel slavery has a high mortality rate even for adults -- seems like this would be a wasteful use of child slaves.

[Melvadius]

All that said, it would be interesting to know which kind of laboral activities did Locke observe being done by 3 year-old children.

 

Best I recall, it was sweeping around the farm, carrying things, and light housework. Also seem to recall that there was a special down-filled garment for children of this age so that if they fell over, the pillow-like dress would catch their fall. The point of this labor wasn't really to put them to much production as much as to prepare them for their later responsibilities.

 

Not an area that I know much about but from a quick 'Google' search articles on the net seem to be favouring the view that it was not so much a case of Locke observing children working but possibly 'stating' the view that they should be 'made' to work from an early age.

 

I have also heard of refernces to the padded suits worn by some children and children being used in the candle making industry trimming wicks but more specifically by the 18th centuries children as young as 6 or 7 were working in cotton and thread mills often being used to tie broken threads while powered machinery was still operating. Accidents in these circumstances could lead to permanent loss of fingers or more serious injuries. I suspect the figures quoted in wikipedia on child labour in cotton mills are fairly representative of the period:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_mill#Child_Labour

 

Children were used in a large number of industries in the period including coal mining and there were a series of legal reforms in Britain throughout much of the 18th and 19th into 20th centuries aimed at improving their lot including limits to working hours as well as rights to basic and then full-time education.

Edited October 28, 2009 by Melvadius

[sylla]

Latium antiquum a Tiberi Cerceios servatum est m. p. L longitudine: tam tenues primordio imperi fuere radices. colonis saepe mutatis tenuere alii aliis temporibus, Aborigenes, Pelasgi, Arcades, Siculi, Aurunci, Rutuli et ultra Cerceios Volsci, Osci, Ausones, unde nomen Lati processit ad Lirim amnem. in principio est Ostia colonia ab Romano rege deducta, oppidum Laurentum, lucus Iovis Indigetis, amnis Numicius, Ardea a Dana

Edited January 1, 2010 by sylla