Aspects of Judean Life: Elephantine in Its Persian Imperial and Administrative Context, (Paperback)

<p> <i>Aspects of Judean Life</i> focuses on Elephantine during the fifth century BCE<i>, </i>developing a comprehensive model of Achaemenid Persian imperial governance in Egypt and situating the Judean colony within that framework. It reconsiders the colony at Elephantine not as a band of foreign mercenaries living private lives but as colonial state dependents embedded within Achaemenid systems of land-for-service taxation and imperial administration. Far from isolated, the Judeans emerge as active participants in--and beneficiaries of--the structures of empire.</p><p>Part 1 offers a cultural history of Imperial Aramaic scribal practice in the Persian period, drawing on Egyptian and Babylonian evidence alongside Phoenician scribal culture. Part 2 reinterprets the Elephantine Papyri through close philological and historical analysis, resolving long-standing problems concerning ethnic designation, administrative purpose, and community sociology. Part 3 reconstructs the professional networks of Judean temple administrators through analysis of Aramaic ostraca and examines the community's role in systems of production, rationing, and taxation.</p><p>By placing Elephantine in dialogue with evidence from the Nile Delta, Babylonia, and other imperial settlements, this study offers a nuanced account of how Persian policies were locally implemented. It will be an indispensable resource for scholars of the ancient Near East, biblical studies, and imperial history.</p>

• Aspects of Judean Life: Elephantine in Its Persian Imperial and Administrative Context, (Paperback)
• Author: James D Moore
• ISBN: 9781646023790
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2026-10-06
• Page Count: 316