Artes of illiberales or "unfree arts" designates the activities of unfree ones like slaves in the antiquity or Frondienste of unfree farmers in the Middle Ages.

The unfree arts belonged to the Artes mechanicae (practical arts), which were exercised however also by free ones. For the unfree one it was impossible to study the Artes liberal and thus the Studia humanitatis because for this only free one and not body-own were certified. This Artes mechanicae stood also in a smaller social reputation than the Artes liberal. And the activities of the unfree ones again stood for the free one (about those the craftsman) in a still smaller reputation than those within the Artes mechanicae.

Already in the Greek antique one there are expressions, which regard practical activities In its "politics" Aristoteles of its depreciating leaves free course over the handicraft: The craftsmen often neglected from carelessness their work and would require a "virtue", how them need the slave, only to that extent, when they have portion of the slave work; the position the craftsman is a limited slavery (pole. I, 13), and therefore he is also no citizen (pole. III, 5; VII, 9). (In the year 317 v. Chr. Attika counted a population of slave of 400.000 opposite 21.000 free citizens.)

Articles in category "Artes of illiberales"

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