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. We chart some of the world’s oldest jobs that people still do today.

Hunting has been around since the prehistoric era, when indigenous peoples began to organise themselves into communities and needed to feed themselves. What was once a primal role that reminded of us of the animalistic elements of our DNA has been expanded to a mass-scale commercial operation today, but hunting remains an occupation, albeit a controversial one, in some parts of the world.

The earliest known tools are thought to be about 2.6 million years old – perhaps even older, if recent discoveries in China are anything to go by. Prehistoric toolmakers would fashion implements using materials such as flint and wood that they could then use to hunt animals or to build dwellings. Today, trade tools are produced on an industrial scale, but the term can also be used to refer to software applications for developing business systems.

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. It can also be used by comedians or those performing a one-person show to engage audiences. 

Religion is one of the oldest human traditions, meaning priests are one of the oldest-known professions. Different religions have different kinds of priests, who are bestowed with different powers and obligations, from blessing churchgoers to holding Communion. Priests have often played the role of advice givers, with people encouraged to speak to priests about anything that might be troubling them. The Catholic practice of Confession is an example of this, and one that remains important today.

The oldest known musical instrument, called the Divje Babe flute, dates back an estimated 43,000 years, and is made from the bone of a bear. Music itself has changed dramatically over the years – it’s thought that early musicians closely mimicked the sounds they heard in nature, whereas modern-day musical artists have a wealth of instruments and technological tools they can draw on to create unique symphonies. The role of musicians as entertainers, however, has remained unchanged.

The creation of drawings, paintings and sculptures is an ancient profession that dates back at least 30,000 years, perhaps even longer. From prehistoric cave paintings to Renaissance portraits of aristocrats and abstract modern art, there have been myriad styles in vogue over the years. The fact that being an artist is still a respected and valued profession today indicates our powerful and long-lasting fascination with creativity.

Teaching as a profession dates back to the Roman and Ancient Greek eras when wealthy families would hire people who were well-read or could speak multiple languages to come and pass their knowledge onto their children. While homeschooling is still common in some cultures, the majority of teachers today work in schools, colleges or universities, imparting knowledge of their specialist subject to children from the age of four all the way up to adults.

From poets to authors, journalists to speechwriters, there are so many professions that rely on the art of the written word. It’s thought that the concept of writing was invented about 5,000 years ago in Ancient Mesopotamia, with the first literary texts emerging about 500 years later. The invention of the pen, printing press, computer and mobile phone have meant that writers’ work can reach a much wider range of people, and can be done faster than ever before.

Healers and medicine men were crucial parts of ancient tribal communities, using traditional remedies to cure all kinds of mental and physical illnesses. The most famous ancient doctor is Hippocrates, who lived around 400BC – modern-day doctors take an ethical oath which is named after him. While early doctors were generalists, meaning they treated illnesses across the entire body, many today specialise in certain diseases or physical areas, such as ophthalmologists, who treat eye conditions.

Farming is a prehistoric profession, dating back to about 23,000 BC. As primitive peoples shifted from nomadic to settled lifestyles, they began to work out how best to use the land that they were living on, planting crops according to the seasons. The earliest crops – oat, rye, barley and wheat – remain some of the world’s most popular varieties today.

Architecture is often thought of as a modern profession, but it actually dates back to Palaeolithic times. In fact, in 2015, researchers discovered drawings representing a prehistoric village carved into a rock on Spain’s Iberian peninsula, which they believe is the first ever architectural blueprint. The industry has been digitised in the modern era, but it’s still based on the underlying premise of planning out and creating specifications for buildings.

Like many other ancient professions, building was borne out of the move away from nomadic to settled society and the need to construct permanent dwellings. Many people initially built their own homes, using mud, twigs and other natural materials, but specialist builders came about as roles became more defined in society. Today, vast teams of builders can work on both residential and commercial projects, and often have to stick to strict building regulations.

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 land around their homes, growing crops to feed their families. Today, horticulture is done out of pleasure as well as out of necessity, and there are competitions around the globe dedicated to it, such as the UK's Chelsea Flower Show.

The Ancient Egyptians were the first people to make bread using yeast, although it’s thought that the idea is much older, perhaps originating in the Babylonian era. Baking flourished in the Roman era, with pastry baking becoming especially popular as a career. In the 19th century, the industry was revolutionised by automated machinery, which meant that baking could become a large-scale commercial operation.

It’s believed the first glassmakers were around in ancient Mesopotamia, almost 4,000 years ago. The art of melting pebbles or sands to make glass was shared with different societies over the years, with varieties such as glass-blowing emerging in places like the islands of Murano, where it is still a key tourist attraction. Commercial glassmaking for products such as windows is done in factories rather than by individual craftsmen today.

The role of the accountant can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia and is closely linked to the development of money. Religious leaders and monarchs were known to employ accountants to keep track of the church or country’s finances. Modern chartered accounting was invented in the 19th century, when company structures began to evolve and it was realised that a more comprehensive financial system was needed. Every modern business will either have an in-house or contract accountant.

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 which continues today. In the modern era, however, spies rely heavily on technology to listen in to communications and infiltrate secret networks.

Droving is the practice of moving livestock, usually cattle, from one area to another on foot. It came about as a result of the construction of farms – drovers would often move animals from one area to another to make sure grass would be evenly grazed, and would also take animals to market to be sold. Droving is still a recognised profession in many countries, but modern-day drovers often use cattle trains to transport animals over long distances, rather than walking them on foot.

Many people think that advertising originated in the 1960s with the ‘Mad Men,” named after Madison Avenue in New York where many of the world’s biggest ad agencies were located. But it’s a much older profession than that – the first ever advert was actually a Wanted poster for a missing slave in Ancient Egypt. Advertising has become much more digitally focused over the past 20 years, but print ads still have their place in the modern world.

As long as there have been famous and prominent figures in the world, like religious leaders or politicians, there have been people around to protect them. One very early example is the Praetorian Guard, which was a taskforce made up of Roman soldiers that protected the emperor. Today, many celebrities have a team of round-the-clock bodyguards, who can be paid very high salaries – Taylor Swift’s are famously paid $1 million a year.

Pawnbroking is an ancient profession, dating back several thousand years, but it was frowned upon for much of its history as some religions forbade lending money. Pawnbroking shops emerged in the mid-1850s and, at one point, there were nearly as many in London as there were pubs. The rise of credit systems in the 1980s meant that pawnbroking declined in popularity, but it’s still an important source of short-term funds for some societies today.

It’s thought that the first kinds of professional exterminators were rat-catchers in the Middle Ages, as rats were known to spread bubonic plague. Ancient exterminators used all sorts of bizarre methods, from “rhyming” pests to death with poetry to using bagpipes to try and drive them away. It wasn’t until the 18th century that modern methods, such as traps and chemicals, began to be implemented.

While humans have been wearing clothes for thousands of years, tailoring as a profession really came into its own in the 12th century, when clothing shifted from being something to cover the body to being more of a status symbol. Luxurious fabrics and embroidery have long been used to denote the wearer’s wealth or position in society, but modern-day tailoring also incorporates a sense of individuality in that clothes are fitted to the wearer’s own body shape and proportions.

Engineering as a profession was born during the Industrial Revolution, as with brand-new machinery being invented all the time it was vital to have someone to maintain and improve on existing equipment. The industry swelled with the creation of steam engines and steam-powered ships, which required a new class of highly-skilled engineer who could work on much larger operations. Nowadays, engineers can work on highly technological projects, such as inventions for aerospace, as well as more practical uses of their skills.

Royals, aristocrats and religious leaders have historically created beautifully intricate gardens around manors and palaces. To do this, they would have used a team of landscape designers. Styles have changed over the years, ranging from ultra-neat, meticulously-planned gardens to more wild, natural spaces, with landscape gardeners using an increasing array of plants to keep up with trends. Landscape gardening is also a crucial part of urban design and planning.

Women have always traditionally helped other women in the birth process, but dedicated midwives began to emerge around the 18th century. Previously, it may have been a woman’s mother, sister or aunt who played that role. Dedicated training schools for midwives were established in the late 1700s, and the industry was really revolutionised when women began to give birth in hospitals rather than at home, as midwives then began to work in a clinical setting.

Most ancient systems were ruled by kings, and so there wasn’t a huge need for politicians to rule countries. The oldest politicians were often army generals, who took power following military action in countries such as the US and France in the late 1700s. Today, countries across the world have politicians who represent parties across the spectrum, who have varying degrees of control depending on national constitutions.

Before the mid-1800s, there wasn’t really much effort put in to get snow off roads. But when horse-drawn carriages, and later cars, rose in popularity, it was clear that a job needed to be created to keep cities moving in colder weather. That’s when snowploughs were born - initially, devices were fitted to horse-drawn carriages to remove snow, but the process was mechanised in the early 1900s. Gritting, the practice of sprinkling salt on roads, is the modern-day supplement to snowploughing.

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Although nursing likely dates back to the very beginning of medical history, it was finally recognised as a profession in the time of Florence Nightingale in the 19th century. At a time when nursing wasn’t considered an appropriate career path for wealthy ladies, Nightingale destroyed those perceptions, travelling to the Crimea to treat wounded soldiers. Today, nurses play a crucial role in hospitals and clinics across the world.

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The first glass milk bottle was patented in the US in the late 1870s, which marked the beginning of delivering milk as a profession. Milkmen would collect milk from local farmers and deliver it to local town or village residents, sometimes several times per day. Many had careers of 30 or 40 years and became firm friends with the people they delivered to. Initially, milkmen had small carts which they used to transport the milk, but today it is done using motorised vehicles.

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