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Trades,
Professions & Livelihood
Ambachten,
beroepen en levensonderhoud
Gewerbe, Berufe und Lebensunterhalt
 hatever the type of main livelihood of an old-time settlement,
pretty much all of its members (including children) used to be involved
in that line of work. As communities grew, diverse specialized lines
of work began
to develop. While
families used
to
grind
grain
themselves,
they now came to leave the job to millers. Other service professions
developed. “The butcher, the baker, the
candlestick maker …” Once spare-time pursuits in agriculture-
and herding-based societies, hunting and fishing became full-time jobs
for some. Bartering developed into commerce, and
this connected
communities
with
each other. Trade guilds sprang up. Single women eked out a living by
selling handmade
yarn and textiles. Some served as paid
go-betweens, midwives, herbalists or mediums. Pastime
skills developed into professional entertainment. Formalization of
power called for administration
and security personnel. And then there were professional outlaws
such as waylayers, wreckers and
pirates. Developing along with the various trades were specialized
technologies and terminologies as well as stereotype roles in songs and
stories.
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