Craftsmen, Tools, and Workshops in Venetian Crete

This project is primarily based on unpublished archival documents gathered during earlier research undertakings and is continuously supplemented with new findings. Its ultimate aim is to provide a synthetic study of craftsmanship in Crete during the late Venetian period. Among the central issues addressed are the identity of craftsmen as revealed through the stages of their professional development (apprentice–assistant–master); the roles of women and children in the workforce; the equipment and geographical distribution of workshops; the processes of acquiring experience and technical knowledge; the mobility of craftsmen within and beyond Crete; the impact of increased demand for certain agricultural products on crafts; the exploitation of natural resources for the benefit of secondary production; and craft activities in rural areas.