The Cairo Genizah and the Age of Discovery in Egypt

The History and Provenance of a Jewish Archive

Rebecca J W Jefferson author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Published:24th Feb '22

Should be back in stock very soon

The Cairo Genizah and the Age of Discovery in Egypt cover

Uses a wealth of original letters and documents to reconstruct the hidden provenance stories behind the formation of the world-famous Genizah manuscript research collection, leading to broader questions about the importance of provenance for scholarship.

The Cairo Genizah is considered one of the world’s greatest Hebrew manuscript treasures. Yet the story of how over a quarter of a million fragments hidden in Egypt were discovered and distributed around the world, before becoming collectively known as “The Cairo Genizah,” is far more convoluted and compelling than previously told. The full story involves an international cast of scholars, librarians, archaeologists, excavators, collectors, dealers and agents, operating from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and all acting with varying motivations and intentions in a race for the spoils. Basing her research on a wealth of archival materials, Jefferson reconstructs how these protagonists used their various networks to create key alliances, or to blaze lone trails, each one on a quest to recover ancient manuscripts. Following in their footsteps, she takes the reader on a journey down into ancient caves and tombs, under medieval rubbish mounds, into hidden attic rooms, vaults, basements and wells, along labyrinthine souks, and behind the doors of private clubs and cloistered colleges. Along the way, the reader will also learn about the importance of establishing manuscript provenance and authenticity, and the impact to our understanding of the past when either factor is in doubt.

Jefferson takes the reader on a fascinating journey to nineteenth-century Egypt, where antique dealers, crooks, adventurers, British tourists, budding archaeologists, romantic writers and erudite scholars all scramble to discover the buried treasures of the past. Among the coveted objects are ancient Hebrew manuscripts, many of which originate from a specific location: the cache of worn out writings stored in the old synagogues of Cairo. With impressive historiographical skills and scholarly acumen, drawing on a wealth of archival documents, travelogues, and archaeological reports, RJWJ sheds new light on the discovery and the significance of what has come to be known as the Cairo Genizah * Judith Olszowy-Schlanger, Oxford University, UK *

ISBN: 9781788319645

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 436g

288 pages