Jewish Journeys through Ancient Egypt

This class will focus on two ancient cases of Jews on the move from Egypt and back again.

 Session One - Who were the ancestors of the Jews in Egypt? 

Long before the famous Exodus story, Egypt played a key role in shaping early Jewish identity. This session explores the possible historical roots of the Israelites, including the intriguing case of the Hyksos—foreign rulers of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period—and the first Egyptian records that mention Israel. We’ll also look at how alliances with Nubians helped the Jews resist Assyrian expansion, revealing how regional power struggles influenced their story.

 Session Two - Jews Return to Egypt: The Ptolemaic and Roman Eras

Centuries later, after conflicts under the Hellenistic Seleucids, Roman rule, and internal divisions, many Jews found new homes across North Africa, Ethiopia, the Arab Peninsula, and especially back in Egypt. In the thriving Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Jewish communities became leaders in science, mathematics, medicine, the military, and trade. This session highlights how Jewish life flourished in the great Mediterranean crossroads, reshaping our view of the Jewish people as active contributors to global culture and knowledge.

Richard Lobban, Ph.D., professor emeritus of anthropology and African studies at Rhode Island College, serves as adjunct professor of African studies at the Naval War College. He has a master’s degree from Temple University and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and has taught at the American University in Cairo, Tufts University and Dartmouth College, among others. He has conducted field research in Tunis and Egypt and has been excavating a temple in Sudan for 10 years. Richard is widely published in urban and complex societies, informal sector economy, gender, ethnicity, race and class, especially in the Middle East. He often serves as a subject matter expert and court-appointed expert witness in political asylum cases for refugees from Africa and the Middle East.