Archaeology
Subject: The Monasteries of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews)
Supervisor: Prof. Stephen Kaplan, Prof. Joseph Patrich
Abstract: The monastic movement of Beta Israel is the only Jewish / Judaic monastic movement known from medieval and modern times. Monks of this movement were active in Ethiopia from the fifteenth through the twentieth century. In a manner similar to contemporary Christian Ethiopian monks, Beta Israel monks resided in monasteries, practised celibacy and asceticism and dedicated their lives to the worship of God. The monks served as leaders of the community, trained and ordained the lay clergy, and formulated many of the community's religious observances. Despite the uniqueness of this monastic movement, the daily life and material culture of the monks, including their monasteries, have yet to be comprehensively researched.
My research focuses on the character and location of the monasteries and on the daily lives of the monks living within them. It comprises four parts: (a) an examination of written and oral sources regarding the monks, their lives and the monasteries in which they lived; (b) an archaeological survey in Ethiopia, in which the remains of Beta Israel monasteries will be identified and documented; (c) a synthesis of the data collated in the above parts, with a focus on the characteristics of the monasteries and the activities conducted in their different components; and (d) a comparison of Beta Israel monasteries with contemporary Christian Ethiopian monasteries.
Publications:
- Kribus B. and Krebs V. (forthcoming) Betä Ǝsra’el (Ethiopian Jewish) Monastic Sites North of Lake Ṭana: Preliminary Results of an Exploratory Field Trip to Ethiopia in December 2015, Entangled Religions.
- Kribus B. (forthcoming) The Creation of an African Sheba? The Impact of Pre-Christian Cult and Culture on Aksumite Christianity, Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies.
- Kribus B. (forthcoming) The Layout and Architecture of the Monasteries of the Betä Ǝsra’el (Ethiopian Jews) – Preliminary Observations, Ityop̣is.
- Kribus B. and Cytryn-Silverman K. (forthcoming) The Ceramic Evidence: The Islamic Period, in: I. Bordowicz (ed.), Horvat Yattir: The 1995 – 1999 Seasons.
- Habtamu Makonnen, Phillipson L. and Sernicola L. with contributions by Marco Barbarino, Alfredo Carannante, Michela Gaudiello and Bar Kribus (2013) Archaeological Expedition at Aksum (Ethiopia) of the Università degli Studi di Napoli “L'Orientale” 2011 Field Season: Seglamen, Newsletter di Archeologia CISA 4: 343-439.
- Fattovich R., Hiluf Berhe, Phillipson L. and Sernicola L. with contributions by Bar Kribus, Michela Gaudiello and Marco Barbarino (2011) Archaeological Expedition at Aksum (Ethiopia) of the University of Naples “L’Orientale” -2010 Field Season: Seglamen, Naples.
Presidential Stipend 2014/15