The Organization of Craft Production at Vijayanagara, South India

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Abstract
This article examines the production of two classes of goods, textiles and ceramics, in the medieval South Indian empire of Vijayanagara. A general model for the organization of specialized craft production is presented in which productive organization is linked to political/administrative regulation of product manufacture, distribution, and use. Three modes of productive organization are defined: administered production, centralized production, and noncentralized production. Historic documentation is used to examine Vijayanagara textile production, and a centralized productive organization is proposed. Vijayanagara ceramic manufacture is assessed through archeological and ethnographic data, and a noncentralized production system is proposed.

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