Writing on the Wall

Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Reference, Antiquities & Archaeology, Judaism, History
Cover of the book Writing on the Wall by Karen B. Stern, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Karen B. Stern ISBN: 9781400890453
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: June 19, 2018
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Karen B. Stern
ISBN: 9781400890453
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: June 19, 2018
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Few direct clues exist to the everyday lives and beliefs of ordinary Jews in antiquity. Prevailing perspectives on ancient Jewish life have been shaped largely by the voices of intellectual and social elites, preserved in the writings of Philo and Josephus and the rabbinic texts of the Mishnah and Talmud. Commissioned art, architecture, and formal inscriptions displayed on tombs and synagogues equally reflect the sensibilities of their influential patrons. The perspectives and sentiments of nonelite Jews, by contrast, have mostly disappeared from the historical record. Focusing on these forgotten Jews of antiquity, Writing on the Wall takes an unprecedented look at the vernacular inscriptions and drawings they left behind and sheds new light on the richness of their quotidian lives.

Just like their neighbors throughout the eastern and southern Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Egypt, ancient Jews scribbled and drew graffiti everyplace--in and around markets, hippodromes, theaters, pagan temples, open cliffs, sanctuaries, and even inside burial caves and synagogues. Karen Stern reveals what these markings tell us about the men and women who made them, people whose lives, beliefs, and behaviors eluded commemoration in grand literary and architectural works. Making compelling analogies with modern graffiti practices, she documents the overlooked connections between Jews and their neighbors, showing how popular Jewish practices of prayer, mortuary commemoration, commerce, and civic engagement regularly crossed ethnic and religious boundaries.

Illustrated throughout with examples of ancient graffiti, Writing on the Wall provides a tantalizingly intimate glimpse into the cultural worlds of forgotten populations living at the crossroads of Judaism, Christianity, paganism, and earliest Islam.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Few direct clues exist to the everyday lives and beliefs of ordinary Jews in antiquity. Prevailing perspectives on ancient Jewish life have been shaped largely by the voices of intellectual and social elites, preserved in the writings of Philo and Josephus and the rabbinic texts of the Mishnah and Talmud. Commissioned art, architecture, and formal inscriptions displayed on tombs and synagogues equally reflect the sensibilities of their influential patrons. The perspectives and sentiments of nonelite Jews, by contrast, have mostly disappeared from the historical record. Focusing on these forgotten Jews of antiquity, Writing on the Wall takes an unprecedented look at the vernacular inscriptions and drawings they left behind and sheds new light on the richness of their quotidian lives.

Just like their neighbors throughout the eastern and southern Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Egypt, ancient Jews scribbled and drew graffiti everyplace--in and around markets, hippodromes, theaters, pagan temples, open cliffs, sanctuaries, and even inside burial caves and synagogues. Karen Stern reveals what these markings tell us about the men and women who made them, people whose lives, beliefs, and behaviors eluded commemoration in grand literary and architectural works. Making compelling analogies with modern graffiti practices, she documents the overlooked connections between Jews and their neighbors, showing how popular Jewish practices of prayer, mortuary commemoration, commerce, and civic engagement regularly crossed ethnic and religious boundaries.

Illustrated throughout with examples of ancient graffiti, Writing on the Wall provides a tantalizingly intimate glimpse into the cultural worlds of forgotten populations living at the crossroads of Judaism, Christianity, paganism, and earliest Islam.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Uprooted by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book The Global Carbon Cycle by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book #Republic by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book Passion and Paradox by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book American Insecurity by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book The Invisible Safety Net by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book Myth and Measurement by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book The Peace of the Gods by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book Democracy, Culture and the Voice of Poetry by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book A World without Why by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book That Eminent Tribunal by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book Why the French Don't Like Headscarves by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book Poems Under Saturn by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book Fly Me to the Moon by Karen B. Stern
Cover of the book Just Married by Karen B. Stern
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy