SPECIAL DISPLACED PERSONS IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
The image is a familiar one: parents fearfully holding their children close. Adults huddled in disorganized lines, their only possessions being the contents of their pockets. These people are refugees – displaced persons – and often the decisions of where to go and what to take with them are made in an instant.
What's in your bag?
If suddenly faced with a need to flee your home, what would you take? Regardless of the moment in history, the two biggest factors that determine what can be brought when fleeing are how much time there is and how much carry space is available; most often, it is very little of both. Like modern displaced persons, ancients who were forced to flee their homes tended to bring items that were essential for restarting their lives – such as money or liquid assets – and if time and space allowed, items that helped maintain their identities as individuals, families, and/or larger communities.
