Capernaum
כְּפַר נַחוּם | |
Capernaum synagogue | |
| Location | Israel |
|---|---|
| Region | Sea of Galilee |
| Coordinates | 32°52′52″N 35°34′30″E / 32.88111°N 35.57500°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Cultures | Hasmonean, Jewish, Roman |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
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 by the Byzantines 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.