A Greek-speaking Jew in the land of the Ḥimyarites?

Some scholars believe that ‘genuine’ Jews were present in Yemen as early as the 10th to the 6 th century BCE. The Ḥimyarite Kingdom saw another phase of Judaization between the 4th and 6th centuries CE. The history of Judaism in Southern Arabia is interlinked with the other two major religions of our time, namely Christianity and Islam, both of which were also practised in the area. The spread of the religions was inevitable as the interconnectedness of cultures and religions increased through political and trade relationships. This paper focuses on the nature of the ‘non-converted’ Jewish community in Yemen. The discovery of a Greek inscription in the ruins of a synagogue at Qanī (South Yemen) adds additional knowledge about the nature of the Jews of Ḥimyar. Is this an isolated case? When and where were the Jews exposed to the Greek culture? In 1936 and 1937, Mazar revealed a remarkable system of tombs in Bĕţ Śĕ̕̕̕ ‘ārīm (Qiryat Tib’on) in northern Israel (near Haifa) and showed that these tombs were those of the Jews of Ḥimyar. The cemetery served as a burial place for Jews from various regions after the diaspora in late antiquity. It is furthermore ‘notable that the inscriptions at the Ḥimyari tombs in Bĕţ Śĕ̕̕̕ ‘ārīm are in Greek, next to an interlacing of Epigraphic South Arabian script. Apparently, it often happened that Jews of Ḥimyar sent the bodies of their relatives to be buried in Israel. A review and analysis of the historical literature will be employed. An epigraphic and archaeological approach illuminates this investigation.

The toponymy of the villages in Ambon Island: A historical and archaeological study

Previously, several toponymy studies have already been conducted both in the Nusa (Island) Ambon as well as in the City of Ambon. However, previous studies have not used the historical-archaeological approach. The use of this approach could ease the researchers to reveal the cross-cultural meeting in a specific locus. Taking the Island of Ambon as a locus, the researchers aim to find the origin of village names and the cultural intersection in Leihitu and Leitimor Peninsula. There were three steps conducted to collect and analyse data using historical-archaeological approach. Firstly, the researchers identified and took a tabulation of the village names, mentioned by the Hikayat Tanah Hitu (The Epic of Hitu Land) and three ancient maps. Secondly, the researchers identified various archaeological remains located in the scattered villages. Finally, the researchers analysed the origin of village names by searching the word-meanings, finding the present locations, and describing the role of the contemporary cultures (Islamic and Colonial period) in the past. The researchers found 12 villages with 22 archaeological remains. All related communities have the archaeological remains which could explain the local dynamics, but there are merely ten villages which name meanings could be identified.

The Aqaba Khans and the Origins of Khans in Jordan. An Archaeological Approach, by Reem Samed Al Shqour.

The Aqaba Khans and the Origins of Khans in Jordan. An Archaeological Approach, by Reem Samed Al Shqour. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2019. 558 pp., $208.00 (hardback). ISBN-13: 9781463206512.

Reflections in shadow: Excavating the personal archives of Paul Jacobsthal and EM Jope

The formation of archives has been a key facet of the archaeological discipline since its inception, critical in the production of knowledge from the destructive excavation that occurs in the field. The ongoing ‘archival shift’ within the humanities from archives as mere sources of secondary information to primary topics of research has presented new potential for the study of historic archaeological archives. This article explores the personal archives of two great scholars of Iron Age Celtic art, Paul Jacobsthal and EM Jope, held at the Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford. Shedding new light on their engagement and interaction with the objects that they studied, the author explores the archive’s power to illuminate the ways in which the scholars’ methods, experiences and encounters shaped the knowledge that they produced about the past. Through presenting the archives as both primary sources of historical information and vibrant material entities, worthy of ‘excavation’ in their own right, the article advocates an assemblage-based archaeological approach to archival engagement.