La ketubbah di Peninah bat Yosef da Regina (Lattarico, Calabria): un documento matrimoniale ebraico del 1457

Abstract

The ketubbah of Peninah bat Yosef from Regina (Lattarico, Calabria): a Jewish marriage document from 1457

The ketubbah document presented here, almost unpublished, was written for a wedding to be celebrated in Regina (presently Lattarico, Calabria) in August of 1457. At a certain point following its compilation, the parchment sheet was reused as a binding and eventually came in Moses Gaster’s possession. As for its contents, alongside the names and the usual Hebrew and Aramaic formulas, part of the dowry list includes vernacular words written in Hebrew script; and as often happens in this kind of lists, these words are not always fully understandable. Despite these uncertainties, the text, which is incomplete, allows us to take a new look at the socio-economic environment of the bride, and enriches our knowledge of the Jewish groups living in this part of the Calabria region in the mid-15^th century.