Division of labour
Topic: Bronze Age Civilisations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, China · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 1 "Writing and City Life"
Meaning
Division of labour means work is split among specialists. Each person does one job and depends on others for everything else. NCERT calls it the mark of urban life. City life begins when the economy grows beyond producing food into trade, crafts and services, so people stop being self-sufficient. This in turn needs organised trade, storage, people who give orders and written records.
Example
In Mesopotamian cities, a stone-seal carver needed bronze tools he could not make. He also needed coloured stones he could not find himself. The bronze-tool maker, in turn, needed copper, tin and a steady supply of charcoal, all brought in by others.
Don't confuse with
- Division of social classes: a ranking of people by status, as in Egypt's "pyramid" of classes. Division of labour is about splitting up jobs, not ranking people.