Joseph of Siena

Not much is known about Joseph, from Siena, Italy, a minor trader in second-hand goods, clothing, and carnival masks. Historian Cecil Roth, unable to find more information about Joseph’s family, assigned him the last name “da Modena,” from the name of Jacob ben Eleazar Modena of Sienna, presumably a relative, on whose ledger he wrote this memoir. In Judeo-Italian, Joseph narrated various wrongs done him, mostly in the context of financial transactions. This text provides insights to the daily life of the ghetto, particularly tensions and bickering among its less affluent inhabitants. He married Anna bat Solomon Milano, with whom he had children.