060011 SE Jewish Journeys in late antiquity and early Middle Ages (2024S)

One of the precursors of modern tourism was the pilgrimage to the Holy Land in late antiquity. Like Christians, Jews in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages also travelled to the land, which in rabbinic literature is referred to not as the Holy Land but as erets Yisrael; they travelled in the land and also abroad.
What did it mean for Jews to travel in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, and how is travel represented in their own sources? This key question is particularly interesting when we consider that this is the period in which the paradigmatic diaspora in world history, the Jewish diaspora of late antiquity, emerges - travellers move within a diasporic network. In Jewish literature of the period, we learn about this network as well as about imaginary places in fantastic travel narratives.
In this course we will a) read primary literature – excerpt from classical and post-classical rabbinic literature, travel literature and use traditional and DH methods and tools to answer questions such as How do Jewish men and women travel, for what purpose, with whom do they interact? What are the dangers of travel?; and b) major contributions to the research literature on the Jewish diaspora and Jewish travel in late antiquity and the early Middle Ages.