Records of Daily Life in the Early Medieval World

The Cairo Geniza

One of the most abundant sources of information for Jewish life in the early medieval period consists of materials found in the Cairo Geniza. Many are documentary rather than literary in nature and provide an unequaled view of the ordinary, day-to-day experiences of medieval Jews, especially those living in and around Fustāt (Old Cairo), where the Geniza was located. 

Personal and public letters, records of court cases, medical prescriptions, tax receipts, and so on offer a strikingly different perspective on medieval Jewish life from that found in literary or rabbinic texts. The authors of these documents grappled with the same issues that concern Jews and Jewish communities today: finances, real estate, ritual observance, marriage, child-rearing, death, and much more. 

They allow us to piece together an understanding of how medieval Jews lived, and, importantly, they give voice to many Jews, particularly women, who would otherwise have remained entirely unknown.