When artes mechanicae or practical arts became in antiquity, the Middle Ages and Renaissance talents designation, which served the direct Broterwerb.

In addition counted as armatura occupations of the handicraft and starting from the Middle Ages also the forming arts and the architecture (work in stone, wood, metal, weapon art, sculpture, painting, architecture), agricultura (agriculture) and lanificium (clothing handicraft). Among the latter arts ranked among other things the cutters, Gerber and shoemaker.

In the broader sense the practical arts than practical application of the knowledge can be summarized in particular from the natural science under the comprehensive term technology (old Greek [] = "„ability, technical skill, handicraft "“).

Those artes mechanicae were regarded to septem opposite the artes liberal (sieved free arts) as low. While it was necessary for the practice or the study of the free arts to be a "“free man"” also unfree ones could exercise the practical arts. The activity of slaves was called therefore also Artes of illiberales.

See also: Studia humanitatis, Artes liberal,

Articles in category "Artes mechanicae"

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