A Arqueologia da etnia e da raça no mundo romano
O caso do judeu negro Moisés
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34024/herodoto.2025.v10.22731Parole chiave:
Arqueologia, Estudos Clássicos e Raça, Dura Europos, Embranquecimento culturalAbstract
Neste artigo, examinamos as construções e interpretações arqueológicas sobre etnia e raça no mundo romano, com foco especial na representação de Moisés no Oriente Médio, especialmente, na Síria. Argumentamos que a etnicidade é um fenômeno dinâmico e instrumental, expresso por meio da materialidade e das práticas sociais. Nosso trabalho destaca como as representações de Moisés na sinagoga de Dura Europos (244-245 EC) retratam claramente um homem de pele escura, contrariando a apropriação posterior que o branqueou na arte greco-romana. Demonstramos que o processo de embranquecimento foi intencional, propagando uma falsa noção estética ao longo de séculos. Exploramos também como os conceitos de raça e de negritude foram distorcidos para legitimar o racismo, em particular por meio da apropriação do mito de Ham. Concluímos que a arqueologia fornece evidências cruciais para compreender a diversidade étnica e racial na antiguidade, desafiando narrativas hegemônicas que apagaram a presença e importância de povos marginalizados (especialmente negros e judeus) no mundo antigo.
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