Byzantine Empire: Hierarchy Of Work
Although not being known for their overall workforce, in the Byzantine Empire work was the preoccupation for most people. Work was needed in order to produce or buy food. There were some ways to have advancement in the Byzantine Empire based on education, wealth, or gaining favour from a more powerful sponsor or mentor. This system still applies to even modern civilizations of today.
The Byzantine Empire was so successful and rich due to Constantinople operating as a prime hub in a trading network that extended across nearly all of Eurasia and North Africa, and in particular as the primary end point of the famous Silk Road. Due to this placement of Constantinople, the Byzantine economy was one of the most advanced in Europe and the Mediterranean for multiple centuries. The Byzantine economy was resilient and flourishing until the first half of the sixth century. Isaurian reforms and Constantine V's repopulation, public works, and tax measures started out the beginning of a revival that persisted until 1204, in spite of the territorial contraction. Starting inside the tenth century until the end of the twelfth century, the Byzantine Empire confirmed an image of luxury. Vacationers had been impressed and excited with the wealth gathered within the capital.
The Plague of Justinian and the Arab conquests ended up representing a substantial reversal of these fortunes which contributed to a period of stagnation and decline. The Fourth Crusade also resulted in the disruption of Byzantine production and the economic dominance of the Western Europeans inside the Eastern Mediterranean. These events amounted to an economic catastrophe for the Empire. The Palaiologoi attempted to revive the financial system, but the past due Byzantine country did not turn out to be gaining complete manage of either of the overseas or domestic monetary forces. Gradually, Constantinople additionally lost its impact and pathway of the channels of change and the pricing mechanisms. Moreover, the town lost its control over the switch of valuable metals and, consequently, lost a few scholars, even over the processing and manufacturing of coins.
When the Byzantine Empire flourished the top of the Byzantine career ladder were the 'white-collar' workers, such as lawyers, accountants, scribes, minor officials and diplomats, which were essential to efficiently running of the state. Then below them there were traders, merchants which traded such commodities as oils, wine, salt, fish, meats, vegetables, and other products like, timber and wax, ceramics, linen, and woven cloth were also traded. Luxury items, such as silks, perfumes and spices were also very important. At the same level were bankers who might have been extremely rich, but they were held in low esteem by the aristocracy and viewed with suspicion. Craftsmen and food producers were less socially mobile as members of the major guilds (collegia) which were expected to remain in their profession of theirs and pass on their skills to their children. This was also true for winemakers, ship-owners, bakers, and pork producers.
The lower classes of Byzantine society worked for a living in all the industries of the day with the more successful ones owning their own small businesses. The largest population groups were the small-scale farmers who owned their own land and the most humble citizens who worked as agricultural labourers on the large estates for the aristocratic landowners. These labourers were not very much higher or treated any better than slaves, who were the lowest of the low. For labourers, they would earn only 25 denarii (ancient Roman silver coin) for one day’s worth of work. In comparison a baker made 50 denarii from a one day’s wages and painters made 150 denarii for one day’s wages.
One of the financial foundations of Byzantium was promoted by the maritime individual of the Empire. Textiles have been the most crucial object of export, silks were absolutely imported into Egypt, and in addition they surfaced in Bulgaria, and within the West. The kingdom rigidly managed the inner and international trade, and retained the belief of issuing coinage, keeping a durable and bendy monetary machine flexible to trade needs. The authorities attempted to workout formal manage over hobby prices, and set the parameters for the interest of the guilds and companies in which it had a special interest. The emperor and his officers intervened at times of disaster to make sure the provisioning of the capital, and to keep down the price of cereals. Finally, the government regularly amassed a part of the surplus via taxation, and positioned it again into flow, through redistribution in the form of salaries to nation officials, or within the shape of funding in public works.
Lower class children of the Byzantine Empire learned the profession of their parents, The Aristocratic girls learnt to spin, weave, and to read and write, they also studied the Bible and lives of saints, but they had no formal education as they were expected to marry and look after household property, children, and manage their husband’s slaves. Meanwhile, the aristocratic boys learned from either a school run by the local bishop, or learned from private tutors for those who were able to afford them. Aristocratic boys were taught to read and write in Greek and were also schooled in arts such as grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, harmonics, and astronomy.
Women in the Byantine Empire were, amongst the upper classes, largely expected to supervise the family home and raise children while those who had to work for a living did so in the industries of the period, which ranged from manufacturing to hospitality. Women did many jobs that men did but often provided specialised services as midwives, medical practitioners, washerwomen, cooks, matchmakers, and actresses. Women could own their very own businesses if they had the means to do so. Although they were considered minority, some women were able to manage to rise above the limitations that were put on them by the male-dominated culture and became successful businesswomen, writers, or philosophers some were able to even become empresses that ruled as monarchs.
The Byzantine empire and economy was one of the most advanced in Europe and in the Mediterranean for multiple centuries. The Byzantine economy was resilient and flourishing and was well ahead of other empires for multiple centuries.
