ABSTRACT
InI555,PaulIVenclosedtheJewsofRomewithinthewallsofwhat wouldeventuallybeknownastheRomanGhetto.Aghettoalready existed,ofcourse,thatofVenice,establishedbytheSerenissimainI5I6. Yet,althoughtheVenetianareaofforcedJewishresidencewascalled fromthestart"theghetto"-clearlyafterthepreviousnameoftheplace (meaningfoundry)wherethisresidentialareawasestablished-inRome, thenameghettowasnotatfirstused.Originally,infact,Jewsdidnot abstractlyconceiveoftheirresidentialareaasaplaceandaspace requiringaname.ThefirstdocumentedJewishreferenceknowntome tothenewresidentialsituation-whichoccurredinSeptemberI555notedsimply(inHebrew)that"thePopehasorderedtheJewstolive [lit.,tobe]together."1
