Seminar on how to integrate different perspectives in the study of migration, by theme-group members Leonard Rutgers, Harry Ostrer and Tracy Prowse.
About the Seminar
The goal of this presentation is to present and discuss the different sources of data used by members of the theme group to focus on the common themes of diaspora and migration. The focus of this theme group is on finding new ways to integrate these various lines of evidence to study the history of the Jewish Diaspora during Roman and early Medieval times. The theme group brings together a historian, a physical anthropologist, and a geneticist.
After sketching a general picture of the questions that beset the study of Jewish migration during a timeframe that saw the emergence of the most classical of all Diasporas, the group will discuss new methodologies from the sciences, including stable isotope technology and DNA-analysis, in an effort to define a new research agenda that will allow researchers to drill down to a much deeper analytical level that has been possible hitherto.
By trying to piece together the life histories on the individual level, this project hopes to gain new insights into the dynamics that shaped the rhythm of Jewish migration during one of the most formative periods of European history, namely the one that saw the collapse of the Roman Empire, the emergence of rabbinic Judaism, and the rise of Christianity.
About NIAS Seminars
NIAS Seminars are aimed to stimulate scientific cross-pollination within the NIAS academic community, but seminars are open to others who are interested. Please let us know if you wish to attend.