802 occupations: The Islamic World produce some drugs, although of varying effectiveness Physicians were uncommon throughout Europe, though the Byzantine region did produce some university-educated doctors As the medieval period progressed, some townspeople began to specialize in particular crafts There were many different types of medieval craftsmen Blacksmiths made objects out of iron Silversmiths worked with silver, and goldsmiths with gold Shoemakers or cobblers made and mended shoes and often other leather goods Tailors made clothing Weavers made cloth, fullers shrank it to make it thick and windproof, dyers colored it, and shearers trimmed it smooth Millers ran mills where local grain was ground between large millstones turned by animal or water power to make flour Tanners processed animal skins into leather Farriers shod horses and sometimes knew cures for sick ones Chandlers made candles Butchers killed animals and cut up their meat Bakers made bread, sometimes baking the bread of an entire village in their large ovens Milkmaids and dairy workers milked cows and made cheese and butter Some people caught fish for a living, handing their catch over to fishmongers to sell Throughout Europe, wherever a town was near a supply of suitable clay, there were likely to be specialists making bricks, pottery, or ceramic tiles Although most craftsmen were male, women also worked as artisans Women often worked with textiles, spinning thread, weaving cloth, embroidering, and making garments, hats, gloves, and shoes They also made candles, soap, and many other items Many families of craftsmen depended on women working in the shop, assisting the craftsmen and selling their wares Women, like men, might support themselves by running inns, providing food and beds to travelers Prostitution was also a fairly common way for women to earn money; many women used prostitution to supplement income, not as their main source of support During the later medieval period craftspeople began organizing themselves into professional organizations called guilds Members paid regular dues In return, guilds protected members from competition, took care of member families in adversity, and ensured quality of instruction The guilds instituted a process of training in which young children would enter the trade as apprentices, doing simple tasks for adult tradesmen An apprentice would become a journeyman when he had learned his craft sufficiently to perform all jobs without supervision, and then a master when he had produced a masterpiece that proved his virtuosity at his profession By the 1300s guilds were well established in much of Europe and had become extremely specialized The growth of guilds was possible because of the emergence of a large-scale money economy, with banks and moneylenders available to provide capital to would-be businessmen Moneylenders existed throughout the medieval period They lent money to people who needed it, on condition that it be paid back with interest Pawnbrokers also provided loans, accepting possessions from borrowers as collateral Moneylenders and pawnbrokers were often Jews because Christians were prohibited from charging interest The greater availability of capital and merchandise in the later medieval period made it possible for some people to become wealthy as merchants and traders, buying goods from craftsmen and transporting and selling them in likely markets The Islamic World by A curb bit for a horse; late 13th to early 14th century The manufacture of horse equipment was a skilled trade in medieval Britain. (© Museum of London) Rose Aslan Based on various manuscripts and documents collected throughout the Islamic world, historians have been able to piece together descriptions and list of jobs from the medieval period In fact, scholars have been able to identify 1,853 distinct occupations that were common throughout the region between the eighth and 15th centuries In the medieval period it was rare to find cities of more than 100,000 people, as most of the population resided in rural settings In Egypt, for example, the urban population measured only 5.7 percent of the total population, which means a large proportion of the population was involved in agriculture Most people were involved in three sectors of activity: the extractive sector, which included to percent of the population; the manufacturing sector, which included 32 to 44 percent;