Capernaum

THE site of ancient Capernaum is located on the north side of the Sea of Galilee. The western part of the site is owned by the Franciscans. It is here that there is the famous synagogue, the dating of which has been so fiercely debated, and the remains of a Byzantine octagonal church on the alleged site of the house of St Peter. The eastern part of ancient Capernaum is owned by the Greek Orthodox Church. Excavations here have as yet uncovered less sensational structures. In this chapter, the focus will be the Franciscan side of the town (Plate 10), particularly the so-called ‘House of Peter’, and the claims made by the excavators that the octagonal church was built upon a Jewish-Christian house-church. It will also be necessary to consider the limestone synagogue, and what it might tell us about Capernaum in the early Byzantine period.

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Byzantine architecture · Excavation · Judaism · Period (music) · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Byzantine Studies and History · History