Ethnicity Dr Diana Edelman University of Sheffield

Ethnicity Dr Diana Edelman University of Sheffield

s Emic: insider’s view s Etic: outsider’s view s An ethnic trait or marker can be anything that is used by a given group of people in their daily life or culture.

s Some typical ethnic traits: diet language clothing, hairstyles religion, ritual burial customs dance, music pottery forms and styles of decoration shared common history architecture

s Israel and Judah can designate: s s s geographical regions political entities people who are associated with a specific geographical region or political unit s Israel came also to designate a religious community that worshipped one god, Yahweh Elohim

s A diaspora is a community of displaced persons living apart from their place of origin. s Are diaspora communities primarily political or ethnic?

s Emic traits of ‘Israel’ given in the Hebrew Scriptures: Kosher diet Use of mezzuzot on doorposts of houses Fringes on clothes Use of tefillin Attendance at 3 pilgrimage festivals: Passover, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Booths s Circumcision of male babies on 8 th day after birth s Adherence to Torah as canonical body of texts s s

Verifiable traits of monarchic era Judahites from HB texts: None Likely traits from HB texts: Attendance at religious festivals Circumcision of male children

s Archaeologically verified traits of Judahites: Pottery forms and decorative styles Diet Dress (siege of Lachish) Hebrew dialect Burial in family tombs; no cremation Worship of Yahweh and Asherah and pantheon; honoring of dead ancestors s architecture s s s

The Siege of Lachish from the Palace of Sennacherib (704 -681 BCE) at Nineveh

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (858 -824 BCE) Found at Nimrud