IMC 2022: Sessions
Session 209: Cologne's Medieval Jewish Quarter, II: Daily Life and Written Sources
Monday 4 July 2022, 14.15-15.45
Organiser: | Malin Drees, MiQua, Landschaftsverband Rhineland (LVR) - Jüdisches Museum im Archäologischen Quartier, Köln |
---|---|
Moderator/Chair: | Malin Drees, MiQua, Landschaftsverband Rhineland (LVR) - Jüdisches Museum im Archäologischen Quartier, Köln |
Paper 209-a | Medieval Slate Fragments from Cologne's Jewish Quarter: Lists of Names and Texts (Language: English) Index terms: Archaeology - Artefacts, Daily Life, Genealogy and Prosopography, Hebrew and Jewish Studies |
Paper 209-b | Jewish Liturgical Sources from Medieval Cologne (Language: English) Index terms: Daily Life, Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Religious Life |
Paper 209-c | Reconstructing Jewish Life in Cologne from Hebrew Sources (Language: English) Index terms: Daily Life, Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Religious Life |
Abstract | Medieval Jewish life in Cologne has previously been reconstructed using Christian archival sources, especially since direct Jewish sources such as the writings of local scholars are rare. Thanks to the excavations of the Jewish Quarter, everyday written sources on slate have been added to the available sources. Among them are records of small scale economic transactions, including an abundance of names of hitherto unknown Jews living in Cologne in the first half of the 14th century. In addition, the presenters use indirect sources in order to reconstruct daily life in the medieval Jewish Quarter of Cologne, such as the liturgical rite that shows some unique features and indicates connections to French communities, and Hebrew sources that mention Cologne, often contrasting Cologne habits and events with rabbinic teaching from Mainz and Worms. Careful comparison allows for the reconstruction of some aspects of Jewish life in medieval Cologne that show a thriving mercantile community with a governance structure that favors laymen, and strong interactions with the surrounding culture, including visual culture. The panel will discuss the newly available sources and their use in reconstructing everyday life in one of the largest Jewish communities of the early 14th century. |