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COURTESY OF THE LEON LEVY DEAD SEA SCROLLS DIGITAL LIBRARY, ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY (IAA) / PHOTOGRAPH: SHAI HALEVI

IDENTITY DINING. Many residents of Roman Judea were cognizant of the social and political implications of their dining practices. In fact, texts such as the apocryphal book of 1 Enoch, part of which is preserved on this fragment from the Dead Sea Scrolls, appear to reflect sectarian rejection of elite modes of dining—especially banqueting in luxurious triclinia—in favor of common dining. Through this rejection, such texts level a pointed critique at local elites for their excesses, economic exploitation, idolatrous acts, and adoption or imitation of foreign cultural norms.