Few archaeological remains from Jesus' time have survived in Nazareth, although farms have been discovered in its vicinity. In December 2009, Israeli archaeologists announced the discovery of the first dwelling in Nazareth dating to Jesus' time. The dwelling is described as a modest house belonging to a “simple Jewish family." Based on this evidence, the archaeologists conclude that Nazareth was “an out-of-the-way hamlet of around 50 houses on a patch of about four acres. . . populated by Jews of modest means."
Conclusion
The picture of Roman Galilee provided by archaeology is consistent with that presented in the New Testament and other ancient sources. Most of the population consisted of lower-class Jews who lived in simple but sturdy houses in farms and small villages, and supported themselves through farming, fishing, and craft production. A small number of more prosperous Jews lived in
9.7 The Sea of Galilee boat. Courtesy of Zev Radovan/BibleLandPictures. com.
The largest settlements — towns such as Sepphoris, Tiberias, and Gamla. They emulated the lifestyle of the Jerusalem elite by building spacious houses decorated with Roman-style wall paintings, and acquired small quantities of fine imported pottery and cooking wares. The “trickle-down" effect of Romaniza-tion on these local elites is evident in the much less impressive quality and quantity of interior decoration and imported goods compared to Jerusalem. At the same time, the discovery of miqva'ot and stone vessels in Galilean towns and villages attests to the observance of Jewish purity laws among much of the local population.
The Early Roman (Herodian) Period (40 B. C.E.-70 C. E.) Sidebar: The Sea of Galilee Boat (the "Jesus boat")
The Sea of Galilee boat is a modest fishing boat dating to the Herodian period that came to light in 1986, when a drought caused the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee to recede. Two members of a local kibbutz (communal farm) noticed ancient pieces of wood sticking out of the mud and alerted archaeologists. The lack of oxygen in the mud preserved the wood for 2,000 years — the same type of anaerobic conditions that preserved the so-called Bog People in northern Europe. The excavation of the boat involved treating the wood with special chemicals to prevent it from disintegrating upon exposure to air. The boat is now on permanent display at Kibbutz Ginnosar on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Measuring 27 feet long and 7.5 feet wide, the boat is a shallow vessel with a flat bottom, a design that facilitated fishing close to the shoreline. Radiocarbon dating of the wood and pottery found inside the boat indicate that it was in use some time between 50 B. C.E. and 50 C. E. The boat was manufactured from scraps of wood of different types, and had been repaired many times. When it could no longer be repaired, the useful parts were removed and the hull sank to the bottom of the lake.
Despite the popular moniker, there is no evidence that this boat has any direct connection to Jesus and his disciples. Nonetheless, it provides valuable information about fishing boats used on the Sea of Galilee in Jesus' time.
Recommended Reading
Mark A. Chancey, Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee of Jesus (New York: Cambridge, 2005).
Sean Freyne, Jesus, A Jewish Galilean: A New Reading of the Jesus-Story (New York: T & T Clark, 2004).
John P. Meier, A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vols. 1-3 (New York: Doubleday, 1991).
Rebecca Martin Nagy et al., Sepphoris in Galilee, Crosscurrents of Culture (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1996).
Jonathan L. Reed, Archaeology and the Galilean Jesus: A Re-examination of the Evidence (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 2000).
Shelley Wachsmann, The Sea of Galilee Boat (College Station: Texas A & M University, 2000).
World History
