372 alejandro f. botta
the supervision of a raḇ degel (“detachment commander”).49 these garri-
sons were clearly perceived by the egyptian local population as a foreign,
“asiatic” presence.50
- Migration
the advance of assyrian forces and the fall of damascus to the assyrians
in 732 B.C. could have triggered a massive displacement of the aramaean
population, and in that case egypt would have been an attractive
destination.51 their widespread presence during the persian period from
the very north to the southern border of egypt, however, suggests that
there was not just one event that triggered their displacement into egypt
but most likely that a multiplicity of push-pull forces were at play.
e. kraeling, after discussing previous theories about the origins of the
Jewish colony in elephantine, proposed that the aramaean community
was established as a replacement of the previous garrison, which had
defected to the Nubians, and that Jewish elements settled in elephantine
into an already existing aramaean community, perhaps under amasis
(570–526 B.C.).52 r. C. steiner has suggested that the origins of the
aramaeans from syene should be looked for in Bethel, where they set-
tled after being deported from rashu.53 Based on the attestation of the
aramaean deities anat-Bethel and anat, assimilated in elephantine to
yhWh, k. van der toorn has suggested that the aramaeans of syene came
from israel but originated ultimately in north syria.54 J. k. Winnicki con-
cludes that “these aramaeans may have been the descendants of refu-
gees who had fled from arpad, hamath and other syrian cities during
the assyrian and Babylonian invasions (.. .).” they also may have come
2; 2: 3; B 8.6: 8–9; 10: 6; C 38.3: 7–9; 4: 35–36; C 3.19: 4; d 2.1: 2; 3: 3; 5: 3; 11: 2; 12: 3–4;
d 3.39: 7; d 4.12: 2; d 22.7: 1; d 23.16: 5.
49 tad B 8.5: 11.
50 see Briant 1998c: 144–151.
51 1 kgs 11: 14–22 narrates how after david had conquered edom, hadad, a member
of the royal house, then a young boy, fled to egypt, taking with him subsequently people
from midian and from paran. although the Bible describes him as an edomite (ʾdm), it has
been suggested, based on the frequent confusion of d/r in the Bible, that he could have
been an aramaean; cf. lipiński 2000a: 368a.
52 kraeling 1953: 41–48, esp. 48.
53 steiner 1995: 204.
54 Van der toorn 1992; see also fales 1995b: 123f, who locates them near arpad.