The Cairo Geniza

The Cairo Geniza

Author: D Field May 2, 2023 Duration: 42:59
Today’s episode is not the story of an individual but rather of a collected body of sacred and secular writings, or rather bodies of writings. It’s a story of scripture, court records, correspondence, literature, scholarly studies, and more, of human life as it has left its echoes in writing. This is the story of the Cairo Geniza, an incredible collection of historical documents, from medieval manuscripts to modern divorces. It's about how that collection, brought from the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fustat, Egypt, has reached us, and some of the figures involved. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. 3 Things: The photography of the Scottish twins, Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Dunlop Gibson A short Cambridge University Library video on the conservation of Geniza fragments and the painstaking work involved "From Cairo to Kolkata, Traces of a Vibrant Jewish Past" by Michael David Lukas Sources: Goitein, S. D. A Mediterranean Society, Volume III: The Family. University of California Press, 1978.  Hoffman, Adina & Cole, Peter. Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza. Shocken Books, 2011.  Jefferson, Rebecca. The Cairo Genizah and the Age of Discovery in Egypt: The History and Provenance of a Jewish Archive. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022. Jefferson, Rebecca. "Deconstructing ‘the Cairo Genizah’: A Fresh Look at Genizah Manuscript Discoveries in Cairo before 1897." The Jewish Quarterly Review 108, no. 4 (2018): 422–48. Lewis, Agnes Smith. Eastern Pilgrims: The Travels of Three Ladies. Hurst and Blackett, 1870. Outhwaite, Ben. "A Hoard of Hebrew MSS," Limn issue 6, The Total Archive. Reif, Stefan. A Jewish Archive from Old Cairo: The History of Cambridge University's Genizah Collection. Routledge, 2013. Princeton Geniza Project. https://geniza.princeton.edu/en/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Step away from the dry textbook version of the Middle Ages and into the footsteps of those who actually walked it. Human Circus: Journeys in the Medieval World, hosted by D Field, is a narrative history series built around the voyages of real people. Each episode follows a specific traveler-whether a merchant on the Silk Road, a Franciscan friar venturing to the Mongol court, or an ambassador navigating Ottoman politics-placing their personal experiences within the sweep of larger events. You’ll hear how these individual journeys, driven by faith, trade, diplomacy, or sheer adventure, wove together a surprisingly interconnected world long before modern globalization. The podcast digs into the cultural exchanges and dramatic encounters that defined an era, all through the lens of movement and human connection. It’s about listening to history unfold as a story, where the vast and often abstract medieval world becomes immediate and personal through the voices of those who traversed it. Tune in for a deeply researched yet vividly told exploration of places, societies, and the figures who moved between them, reminding us that the past was never static.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Human Circus: Journeys in the Medieval World
Podcast Episodes
Osman of Timisoara 1: Prisoner of the Infidels [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:06
A departure from our usual historical period for the 17th-century story of Osman Agha of Timisoara, an Ottoman soldier taken prisoner in the years after the Battle of Vienna. If you like what you hear and want to chip in…
Medieval Lives 11: William Fitz Osbert and the Unrest in London [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:04
A 12th-century execution and the mixed messages in the chronicles around how things had gotten to that point. Did William with the Long Beard offer a better life to those unhappy in Richard I's London, or did he just tak…
Nasir Khusraw 3: Makkah and the Way Home [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:59
The conclusion of Nasir Khusraw's story, following his repeated trips from Cairo to Makkah, his struggles in crossing the Arabian Peninsula, and then his journey toward Khorasan. If you like what you hear and want to chi…
Nasir Khusraw 2: Fatimid Egypt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:01
An 11th-century journey from Jerusalem to Fatimid Egypt. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I hav…
A Medieval Christmas, 2024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:35
Happy Holidays! This episode is about festive "medieval" poetry. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Insta…
Medieval Lives 10: Pietro d'Abano [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:38
Born in the 13th century, Pietro d'Abano was referred to variously as “the Great Lombard,” “the Conciliator,” and, in at least one case, a “great necromancer.” This scholar and physician faced various troubles relating t…
A Medieval Haunting in the Annales Fuldenses [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:05
The Annales Fuldenses, or Annals of Fulda, is a source for 9th-century events in Carolingian lands: the incursions of the Northmen, fighting among the royal relatives, and omens in the sky. It also contains the story of…
Medieval Lives 9: John Crabbe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:46
The story of a 14th-century Flemish pirate, merchant, and adventurer, a man who took prizes at sea and took whatever side he needed to on land, crossing paths with various counts and kings as he went. If you like what yo…
Pedro Tafur 7: Losing Teeth, Losing Swords [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:24
Our 15th-century Spanish traveller goes home, mixing with the imperial elite along the way. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, T…