Alexandrian riots (38 CE) facts for kids
The Alexandrian riots were violent attacks against Jewish people in the city of Roman Alexandria, Egypt, in the year 38 CE. These events are sometimes called the Alexandrian pogrom.
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Why the Riots Started
The Roman emperor Caligula did not trust Aulus Avilius Flaccus, who was the Roman governor of Egypt. Flaccus had been loyal to the previous emperor, Tiberius, and had worked against Caligula's mother.
In 38 CE, Caligula sent Herod Agrippa to Alexandria without warning. Agrippa was a Jewish king. The Greek people in Alexandria made fun of Agrippa, seeing him as the king of the Jews. Flaccus tried to make both the Greek people and Emperor Caligula happy. He decided to place statues of the emperor inside Jewish synagogues. This was a very unusual and upsetting act for Jewish people.
Attacks on Synagogues
Jewish people likely tried to stop the statues from being placed in their synagogues. A writer named Philo said that Flaccus "was destroying the synagogues."
After this, Flaccus made a rule that called all Jewish people "foreigners." This rule allowed anyone to attack Jewish people as if they were enemies in a war. Philo wrote that angry crowds then "drove the Jews entirely out of four quarters" of the city. They forced Jewish people into a very small part of one area. The crowds then took over the empty Jewish homes and stole their belongings. Flaccus was later removed from his job, sent away, and eventually killed.
More Riots in 40 CE
More riots broke out in Alexandria in 40 CE between Jewish and Greek people. Jewish people were accused of not honoring the emperor enough.
Arguments also happened in the city of Jamnia. Jewish people were upset when a clay altar was built there and they destroyed it. In response, Emperor Caligula ordered a statue of himself to be placed in the Jewish Temple of Jerusalem. This command went against the Jewish belief in one God. Philo wrote that Caligula saw Jewish people as the only ones who did not agree with his wishes.
An Eyewitness Story
The main source of information about these riots comes from Philo of Alexandria. He was a Jewish man who saw the riots happen. Later, he led a group of Jewish leaders to Emperor Caligula. They asked the emperor to allow Jewish people to live legally in Alexandria again.
Philo wrote about these events in two of his books: In Flaccum (meaning "Against Flaccus") and Legatio ad Gaium (meaning "Embassy to Caligula").
What We Call These Events
Historians often call the events in Alexandria in 38 CE the first pogrom in history. A pogrom is a violent attack on a group of people, often Jewish people. Some scholars have also linked these events to later anti-Jewish feelings.
However, some experts, like Sandra Gambetti, prefer not to use the word "pogrom" for these events. In her book, she avoids words that connect the Alexandrian events to later Jewish experiences. She believes this would require comparing two different historical times.
Another writer, Adalbert Polacek, called the event a "holocaust." But Miriam Pucci Ben Zeev believes this word is not correct and can be misleading.
See also
- Alexandria riot (66)
- Jewish–Roman wars
- History of the Jews in Egypt
- History of the Jews in the Roman Empire
- List of conflicts in the Near East
