Here Is A List Of 15 Ancient Jobs In The World That Still Exist Today

Life in the ancient world was pretty different than it is now. Still, some of the jobs that we have today have been around since then.

Ancient jobs came into being primarily because of the earliest human needs. Occupations such as farming, toolmaking, and carpentry emerged as a result of the first human creations such as tools and agriculture

According to some research, reports prostitution was considered the oldest job in the history of mankind. However, even today, irrespective of digitization and modernization, some of these ancient jobs still exist because they deal with the most basic human needs.

The digital revolution has created a host of jobs that we never even knew we needed 20 years ago. In the midst of all this innovation, though, there’s still plenty of space for traditional professions, many of which remain crucial in our modern economy.

1. Teachers

The job of the teacher is quite ancient indeed. Since societies began, maybe even before that, villages have understood the importance of passing on their knowledge to the next generation. Teaching is considered a noble profession not only in India but across the world and has always held a place of pride in the social milieu

2. Writers

Once a civilization has a written language, they tend to have writers too. Some have worked as scribes and record keepers. And some did nothing short of revolutionizing the world. Writers have held great positions in the courts of kings and monarchs since ancient times.

3. Accountants

The royal courts had many accountants to keep records of the taxes paid by the people along with maintaining the nation’s accounts. In fact, many courts had finance ministers under whom the accountants worked.

The role of the accountant can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia and is closely linked to the development of money.

4. Architects/Builders

The idea that magnificent ancient structures were built solely by unskilled slave labor is a misconception. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the phenomenal Inca Road system, Taj Mahal, the forts of Rajasthan are some examples of the architectural masterpieces of ancient civilizations

5. Doctors

Technology and medicine sure have come a long way since ancient times. Our understanding of the human body, and our knowledge about how to help it heal, has undoubtedly transcended the greatest hopes of our ancestors

6. Farmers

Farming has been a really common job throughout history, at least since the dawn of agriculture. This is one of the professions that was born out of the need for livelihood and for satisfying the most basic human need for food. The history of agriculture in India dates back to the Indus Valley civilization era

7. Musicians/artists/dancers

Researchers believe that human beings started making music over 50,000 years ago during the cultural explosion. Music in India emerged as an integral part of socio-religious life. The oldest known art in the world is a cave painting of a red hand stencil from Spain.

8. Tailors

No one knows when ancient humans started wearing clothing, but anthropologists estimate that clothing came about between 100,000 – 500,000 years ago. The art of tailoring dates back to the early Middle Ages. Some of the earliest tailors created custom, padded linen garments

9. Miners

People have been working in mines for centuries. And it’s always been highly dangerous and taxing work. Miners still work hard and in tough conditions today. Irrespective of certain safety precautions and technologies, a miner’s life is always in danger.

10. Carpentry and brick making

Carpentry was another profession that flourished in ancient Egypt. Some carpenters were permanent employees of the pharaoh, while others labored in workshops. Ancient Indians were the first to make bricks. According to research, the ancient people used to put soil, clay, and water together to make mud and pounded them into square-shaped bricks.

11. Storyteller

Like music, storytelling is one of the oldest forms of entertainment, predating writing. The art of storytelling is used today by dancers, actors, writers, and other types of creative professionals, as well as narrators of audiobooks, which is arguably the closest profession to ancient storytelling.

12. Hunter/Butcher

According to evidence released by anthropologists in 2012, humans have been hunting and eating meat for nearly 2 million years. The earliest definitive evidence of human hunting dated to about 400,000 years ago. While hunting is banned today in many countries, butchers are very much there.

13. Soothsayers/occultism/fortune tellers

Their crystal ball reveals the fate that awaits you. This profession seemingly traces back to 4000 B.C.E. to parts of China, Babylonia, and Egypt. In fact, fortune-telling was actually an integral part of many religions of the ancient world

14. Spies/Intelligent officers

There’s not a huge amount of historical evidence of spying. If there were, spies wouldn’t have been doing a very good job. Most ancient societies had systems of espionage to find out whether others were planning on waging war, a practice that continues today

15. Horticulturist

The practice of cultivating crops dates back over 6,000 years. Like farming, horticulture came about as a result of the transition from nomadic to sedentary society, as people used the land around their homes, growing crops to feed their families.