Colloquium overview :

Throughout history, both craftsmen and workers have always been the main component in the economic, social, cultural and political dynamics of the Mediterranean world. More interestingly, in some disciplines (navigation, medecine, architecture and some various crafts) the Mediterraneans, the city dwellers or the villagers have shown well-knowledge and perfect mastery.
Academic sources have greatly contributed to the knowledge of different crafts, functions and the transfer of the know-how. however, archaeology with its fields of specilization (epigraphy, mosaic, numismatics, ceramics,...) has been poorly studied. Nevertheless, it is a good source to enrich, to refine our knowledge and to exploit the degree of dexterity as wall as the well-management of the staff duties. Moreover, archaeology allows to learn about the individual's active life ; starting from apprenticeship to the end of his/her career.
Such as international colloquium allows researchers to show the findings of their researches and to present new outcomes. These latters are likely to confirm, contradict, or rectify ancient hypotheses or even to bring new results.
The colloquium will try also not to deal with the topic in the classical way, but will rather try to adopt a new approach regarding the notion of work. Hence, will go beyond what had been for long referred to as technical or manual in order to be a constructive element of the individual's identity within the history framework. Furthermore, the colloquium is a good opportunity for newly researchers whose studies are about the mentioned topic, to present and discuss the steps used in their researches.

The colloquium will deal with the following themes :

1. Crafts corpus and its role in the Mediterranean.
2. Expertise, dynamics and the individual's professional career.
3. Corporations, orders and professional institutions.