The Scroll of Aḥima‘ats: Aaron of Baghdad

Aḥima‘ats ben Palti’el

1054

And in the days of these saints, descended one of the dearest ones, a greatly beloved man, from the land of the Baghdadites, Head and Father,1 from the lineage of Yoav; his name was Aharon. [ . . . ]

He came to Jaffa and found there [ships] from here and from there. [ . . . ] There he found a solitary man, a Jew; he was a Spaniard who took him…

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This extract from The Scroll of Aḥima‘ats (Megilat Aḥima‘ats) relates the story of the mysterious Aaron (spelled here as Aharon and known elsewhere as Abū Aharon or Mar Aharon) of Baghdad, who traveled from there to Italy sometime in the ninth century. Aaron of Baghdad was later described as av kol ha-sodot (“father of all secrets”) and was associated with all sorts of mystical and magical traditions, as well as the transmission of knowledge and authority from the East to the Qalonymos family in Italy and then Germany. This story should therefore be viewed alongside other “foundation legends” of medieval European Jewry, which seek to explain the history of the local Jewish community.

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Related Guide

Early Medieval History and Travel Writing

8th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

Aḥima‘ats ben Palti’el

1017–1160

Aḥima‘ats ben Palti’el was a chronicler and poet from Capua, in southern Italy. He eventually moved to Oria, also in southern Italy, which was the ancestral home of his family. There he wrote The Scroll of Aḥima‘ats (Megilat Aḥima‘ats), a rhyming account of familial legends and history going back to the ninth century, in which he included many prominent figures, telling fanciful and magical stories of their travels and affairs. Aḥima‘ats also composed Hebrew poetry, including a panegyric for the Nagid Palti’el, which was incorporated into Megilat Aḥima‘ats.

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