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The aljama. Life in community

The aljama was the organizational structure of the Jewish communities in the Crown of Aragon. They highly depended on the Christian power.
By law, the Jews were serfs of the king, who regularly demanded payments to the aljamas and, in return, protected them with privileges. This gallery shows everyday items used by Girona's Jewish inhabitants and later found by archaeologists.

Read the brochure related to the area The aljama. Life in community for more information.

Outstanding items

Three-handled jug

Green-glazed ceramic. 13th century, Girona. Found in the courtyard of the museum in 2012.
During archaeological digs (2012-2013) carried out in the courtyard of the Museum of Jewish History, the structure of a 13th century house destroyed towards the end of the 14th century, was revealed. This large piece of pottery was embedded within the inner walls of the house. Everything indicates that it was placed there deliberately, because the stone wall was built around it: this is one of the unresolved mysteries of the Jewish quarter.

Buckle

Bronze, 13th-15th centuries, Montjuïc (Girona). A belt buckle with the decorative image of an imaginary animal that may be the Leviathan, one of the main creatures inhabiting the mythological and symbolic universe of Judaism. This small gem of an item vividly evokes the everyday life of Jewish Girona.

Earrings

Silver. 13th-15th centuries, Girona's Montjuïc (cession of the Archeology Museum of Catalonia. Girona).
Silver earrings with filigree work. This jewellery brings us closer to the intimate and personal life of the women who lived in houses in Girona's Jewish quarter.

Thematic Areas