History and Archaeology of Ancient Nazareth

Use Images

Nazareth (al-Nasirah)

By the Editors of the Madain Project

Ancient Nazareth was a Jewish village during the Roman and Byzantine periods and is described in the New Testament as the childhood home of Jesus. It became an important city during the Crusades after Tancred established it as the capital of the Principality of Galilee. The city declined under Mamluk rule. In the 18th century CE, Zahir al-Umar transformed Nazareth into a large town by encouraging immigration to it. The city grew steadily during the late 19th and early 20th centuries CE, when European powers invested in the construction of churches, monasteries, educational and health facilities.

Back to Israel/Palestine / Middle East

Brief History of Ancient Nazareth

Prehistoric and Ancient Periods
Nazareth likely had prehistoric and ancient settlements dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Archaeological evidence suggests early human habitation in the area.

Canaanite and Israelite Periods
During biblical times, Nazareth was part of the region inhabited by the Canaanites and later the Israelites. The town might have been a small agricultural settlement during this period.

Hellenistic and Seleucid Periods (332 BCE - 37 BCE)
With the conquest of Alexander the Great, the Hellenistic influence spread through the Eastern Mediterranean. Nazareth would have experienced Hellenistic cultural and political influences during this era. Archaeological evidence shows the Nazareth was occupied during the late Hellenistic period, through the Roman period and into the Byzantine period.

Hasmonean and Roman Periods (167 BCE - 70 CE)
The Hasmonean dynasty briefly ruled the region before the Roman conquest. The Roman Empire took control of Nazareth, and it likely became a small, unremarkable village during this time.

Roman and Byzantine Periods (37 BCE - 7th century CE)
The Roman occupation continued, and the town may have been part of Herod Antipas's domain. Nazareth gained more visibility in the Byzantine period, with the construction of churches and other Christian structures.

Muslim Period (7th - 12th centuries CE)
After the Arab-Muslim conquest, Nazareth, like other towns, was influenced by Islamic culture. The town underwent changes during this period.

Crusader and Mamluk Periods (12th - 16th centuries CE)
Nazareth was part of the Holy Land conflicts during the Crusader and Mamluk periods. The town changed hands multiple times during these centuries.

Ottoman Period (16th - 20th centuries CE)
The Ottoman Empire ruled the region, and Nazareth's role likely evolved during this period. The town continued to be inhabited by a mixed population.

Archaeology in Nazareth

Khan al-Basha

The Khan al-Basha, a seventeenth century CE historic caravanserai, was the most important caravanserai (caravan station) in Nazareth. It served the merchants and travellers passing through the city, being the commercial heart of the city. It is named after Suleiman Basha, governor of Nazareth, who repaired the khan in 1814 CE. Read more

Mary's Well

According to local tradition and folklore, Mary's Well is believed to be the place where the Virgin Mary drew water from a spring or well. It is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible but holds cultural and religious significance in Christian tradition. The site is sometimes used for religious celebrations, especially during Marian feasts and other Christian events. Read more

Synagogue Church

The Synagogue Church is a small Christian church in the heart of Nazareth known by this name due to a tradition claiming that it the location where the village synagogue stood in Jesus' time. Above its doorway is an embedded sign in Arabic and English: "Synagogue". Read more

Featured Article House of Joseph and Mary

Christian tradition associates Nazareth with the childhood home of Jesus, where he lived with his parents (Matthew 2:23; Luke 1:26), Mary and Joseph. The house of Joseph and Mary in Nazareth is traditionally believed to be the site where the Holy Family, according to Christian tradition, lived during the early years of Jesus' life. This site is often referred to as the "House of the Holy Family" or the "House of Mary". It is important to note that there is no explicit biblical mention of the specific house where Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lived in Nazareth, and the identification of such sites is often based on Christian tradition and historical reconstructions.

Explore

House of Joseph & Mary

Some traditions suggest that during the time of Jesus, houses in Nazareth might have been built partially or entirely into the rock, resembling cave dwellings.One of such subterranean archaeological site is believed by some people to be the House of Joseph and Mary in the ancient city of Nazareth. Read more

Greek Orthodox Church

The Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Gabriel, also known as the (Greek) Orthodox Church of the Annunciation. It is one of two claimants to the site of the Annunciation - where angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced that she would give birth to Jesus. Read more

Nazareth Village

Nazareth Village is an open-air museum in Nazareth, Israel, that reconstructs and reenacts village life in the Galilee in the time of Jesus. It features houses, terraced fields, wine and olive presses all built to resemble those that would have been in a Galilee village in the 1st century. Muslim and Christian living history enactors dress in period costume. Read more

Makam al-Nabi Sain Mosque

The Nabi Saeen Mosque is a mosque located on Nabi Saeen Hill in Nazareth, Palestine. The mosque is located at the top of the ridge enclosing the city from the north, about 150 meters north of the Salesian Basilica of Jesus the Adolescent. The mosque is named for the hill on which it sits, which is officially romanized Nabi Saeen on local signs. Read more

White Mosque

The White Mosque is an Ottoman-era mosque in Nazareth. Located in Harat Alghama or the "Mosque Quarter" in the centre of Nazareth's Old Market, it is known for its pencil-shaped minaret, cream-coloured walls, and green-coloured trim and dome in the Ottoman style architecture. Read more

Basilica of the Annunciation

The Basilica of the Annunciation is a significant Christian religious site located in Nazareth, Israel. It is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the Holy Land, and it commemorates the Annunciation, the Abrahamic tradition in which the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and give birth to prophet Jesus. Read more

Mount Precipice

Also known as Mount of Precipitation or Mount Kedumim, is a prominent geographical feature located just outside the city of Nazareth in northern Israel. It holds significance in Christian tradition and is associated with an event mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible. Read more

Seraya

The Seraya is a historical building in Nazareth, Israel. It was built around 1740 or 1730 by the autonomous Arab ruler of the Galilee, Zahir al-Umar, during the Ottoman era in Palestine. Zahir, who later based himself in Acre, used it as a summer home. Read more

Mensa Christi Church

The Mensa Christi Church, also known as the Church of the Primacy of Peter, is a Christian religious site located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, near Tabgha in Israel. It is associated with an event described in the New Testament of the Bible. Read more

Sisters of Nazareth Convent

The Sisters of Nazareth convent is a monastery located in the city of Shefa-'Amr. The monastic-hospice complex also contains an underground archaeological site, believed to be the "House of Saint Joseph and Mary", parents of Jesus. Read more

St. Joseph Church

The Saint Joseph's Church is a Franciscan Roman Catholic church in the Old City of Nazareth. It was built in 1914 CE over the remains of much older churches. It is located close to the Church of the Annunciation. Read more

Coptic Church of the Annunciation

The Coptic Church of the Annunciation is a Coptic church in the city of Nazareth, in northern Israel/Palestine. It is dedicated to the Annunciation; it is not to be confused with the Catholic church of the same name (Basilica of the Annunciation) or the Maronite church in the same city. Read more

References

Strange, J. F. *Archaeology, the Rabbis, and Early Christianity: Nazareth Revisited*. Scholars Press, 1982.
Bagatti, B. *Excavations in Nazareth: From the Beginning until the XII Century*. Franciscan Printing Press, 1969.
Reed, J. L. *Archaeology and the Galilean Jesus: A Re-examination of the Evidence*. Trinity Press International, 2000.
Taylor, J. E. *What Did Jesus Look Like?* Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2018.
Aviam, M. "Jewish Galilee in the First Century." *Near Eastern Archaeology*, vol. 64, no. 4, 2001, pp. 228–241.
Pixner, B. *Paths of the Messiah and Sites of the Early Church from Galilee to Jerusalem*. Ignatius Press, 2010.
Dark, K. R. *Roman-Period and Byzantine Nazareth and Its Hinterland*. Routledge, 2020.
Finegan, J. *The Archaeology of the New Testament: The Life of Jesus and the Beginning of the Early Church*. Princeton University Press, 1969.
Dever, W. G. *The Lives of Ordinary People in Ancient Israel: Where Archaeology and the Bible Intersect*. Eerdmans, 2012.
Chancey, M. A. *The Myth of a Gentile Galilee: The Population of Galilee and New Testament Studies*. Cambridge University Press, 2002.