INDICADORES ARQUEOLÓGICOS PARA LA IDENTIFICACIÓN DE LAS POBLACIONES JUDÍAS MEDIEVALES HISPÁNICAS.

The study of medieval Hispanic Jewish communities from the archaeological record dates back to the origins of medieval archaeology in Spain, in the 18th century. However, the development of a medieval archaeology of Judaism in Spain (a "medieval archaeology of Sepharad") has been very limited, having focused almost exclusively on epigraphy, the architectural or artistic analysis of religious buildings (synagogues and ritual baths or mikva'ot) and the study of cemeteries. Given the difficulties in characterizing the material culture of Hispanic Jewish communities (if that were possible) and to confirm the presence of Jewish population in medieval archaeological contexts, two strategies of research are proposed. First, identifying fragments of ceramic Hanukkah oil lamps in domestic contexts. Second, the development of zooarchaeological analysis that enable the identification of diets and alimentary practices typical of Jewish populations (Shechita and Kashrut). To this end, the successful results of the implementation of both strategies in some Spanish archaeological sites in recent years, especially in the late medieval Jewish quarter of Lorca Castle (Murcia), are exposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]