The Other Groups that Were …: Some Remarks on Different Minor Ethnicities in Persian Period Elephantine

Abstract

Despite the renewed attention for Persian period Elephantine, the focus of many publications is still on the history, identity, and religion of the Yehudite group in the Persian border garrison. This article displays the data on the other ethnic groups. Next to Persians, Egyptians, and Judeo-Arameans, some fifteen ethnic groups are referred to in the Aramaic and Demotic inscriptions. The analysis of the material leads to the conclusion that members of these other groups had various social roles in the local community: mercenaries, merchants, administrators, and slaves.