When: 27/10/2009

Where: Spiro Ark Centre

Time: 19.00

Contact: 020 7723 9991

Price: £10 + £1 booking fee

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How did the Jews of Roman Palestine live, work, and spend their leisure time? What did they eat and what kind of clothes did they wear? What were the domestic conditions under which they lived? How did the situation of women doffer from that of men? The lecture will take the audience on a journey to the Land of Israel in the first centuries C.E. and invite them to imagine themselves as ordinary people leading their daily lives. Accompanied by a slide presentation, it will introduce the audience to this new and exciting era of ancient Jewish history and can serve as good preparation for all those who plan to travel to Israel and visit the archaeological sites themselves.
Catherine Hezser is a Professor of Jewish Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London). She organizes courses relating to modern and ancient Judaism and she is an author of many publications on the subject (the latest one is 'Jewish Slavery in Antiquity', 2005, Oxford University Press). Catherine has distinguished herself as a major expert in the social history of Jews in Roman Palestine in late antiquity, but she is also interested in in issues of modern Jewish identity and its literary expressions in Europe, America, and Israel. She is currently writing a book on Mobility and Communication in Ancient Judaism, based on research carried out at Tel Aviv University.