The Reconstruction of Jewish Communities in the Persian Empire: The Āl-Yahūdu Clay Tablets

Abstract

The Reconstruction of the Jewish Diaspora in the Exilic and Post-exilic Periods. Cuneiform documents are a major source of information concerning the Jewish Diaspora in the exilic and early post-exilic periods. Among the most important group of such documents are the circa hundred documents from the village of Al Yahudu which were found in Iraq. Dated between 572-484 BCE they allow us to understand what happened to the Judean exiles and their descendants upon their arrival in Babylon, during the 70 years of their captivity in Babylonia, and after Cyrus the Great granted them permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. Most of the Al Yahudu tablets are in privately owned collections. In 2010 Beit Hatfusot, The Museum of the Jewish People, Tel Aviv, organized an exhibition on the Jews of Iran and presented several of the Al Yahudu tablets for the first time to the public. The exhibition catalogue ‘The Story of Iran and the Jews’ includes my brief overview and synopsis of several of the Al Yahudu tablets.

status: published