Capernaum
כְּפַר נַחוּם (Kǝfar Naḥūm) | |
Ruins of the 4th-century Capernaum synagogue | |
Capernaum Shown within Israel | |
| Alternative name | Kapharnaum, Kepharnōkón, Kafr Nāḥūm, Talḥūm |
|---|---|
| Location | Plain of Ginosar, Sea of Galilee, Israel |
| Region | Galilee |
| Coordinates | 32°52′52″N 35°34′30″E / 32.88111°N 35.57500°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Hasmonean, Roman, Byzantine, early Islamic periods |
| Cultures | Jewish (Second Temple and Talmudic eras), Christian |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1838–present |
| Archaeologists | Edward Robinson, Charles William Wilson, Heinrich Kohl, Carl Watzinger, Vendelin von Benden, Gaudenzio Orfali, Virgilio Corbo, Stanislao Loffreda, Vassilios Tzaferis |
| Condition | Partially preserved |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Capernaum – Custody of the Holy Land |
Capernaum (/kəˈpɜːrneɪəm, -niəm/ kə-PUR-nay-əm, -nee-əm; Hebrew: כְּפַר נַחוּם, romanized: Kfar Naḥum, lit. 'Nahum's village'; Arabic: كَفْرْ نَاحُومْ, romanized: Kafr Nāḥūm) was a fishing village established during the time of the Hasmoneans, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500 in the 1st century AD. Archaeological excavations have revealed two ancient synagogues built one over the other. A house turned into a church during the Byzantine period is held by Christian tradition to have been the home of Saint Peter.
The village was inhabited continuously from the 2nd century BC to the 11th century AD, when it was abandoned sometime before the First Crusade. This includes the re-establishment of the village northeast of the earlier location in c. 700, during the Early Islamic period.