The Military Situation of the Jewish Community in Elephantine during the Persian Era through Aramaic Documents

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of History and Ciilization. Port Said University

Abstract

This research paper aims to examine the military situation of the Jewish community on the island of Elephantine during the Persian era and the beginning of establishing the garrison on the island since the first Assyrian campaign of King Ashurbanipal against Egypt. It studies the increasing numbers of the Jewish on the island due to the policy of reconciliation between them and the Persians. Furthermore, this research sheds light on the formation of the garrison and their social and military organisation, along with identifying some military units, ranks, and grades according to the discovered Aramaic documents. It also investigates the tasks assigned to the garrison, such as maintaining internal security, and quelling riots and conflicts that may arise due to the existence of various foreign communities in the region, different cultures, as well as the Egyptians wishing to renew revolutions against the Persians. Those tasks also include guarding the southern borders because of the importance of the location of the island, which, alongside the city of Syene, is considered the southern gateway. Moreover, the garrison does some administrative tasks in the army, such as playing the role of a scribe, and escorting commercial goods and ensuring their security while tracking their movements from south to north and vice versa. They also work on protecting mines, quarries, and the roads leading to them; monitoring the Nile levels; and finally, the privileges that the Jewish soldiers received, including salaries, rations, and land plots in return for their services.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics