Blacksmith’s Shop This painting on the side of an amphora from around 500 B.C.E. shows a blacksmith’s shop, with the smiths working and other men providing advice. Men often gathered in artisans’ shops or on the public square to chat, while women’s conversations took place in the home. Although blacksmithing is hot work, a smith would not normally have worked in the nude; showing him naked allowed the painter to demonstrate his ability to depict human musculature.
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