Archaeologists in Israel say they have uncovered the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth believed to date back to the time of Jesus Christ.
The discovery sheds light on how people lived 2,000 years ago, when Christians believe Jesus was growing up there, Israel’s Antiquities Authority said.
The home consists of four rooms, a courtyard, a water cistern and a small camouflaged grotto, which is presumed to have been a hiding place for the occupants from the invading Roman army. The grotto could have concealed around six people for a few hours, Alexandre said. But the Romans did not attack the hamlet, which had little strategic value at the time.
“The building that we found is small and modest and it is most likely typical of the dwellings in Nazareth in that period,” said Yardenna Alexandre of the Antiquities Authority, who directed the dig.
The home and previous discoveries of local tombs suggest that Nazareth was a community of approximately 50 houses that encompassed some 1.6 hectares, according to Alexandre. She is certain that the locals lived a simple lifestyle, because of the construction techniques that were used and the modest clay and chalk pottery that was found.
The scientists concluded that a Jewish family lived in the home because of chalk, which was used by Jews at that time to ensure the purity and preservation of food and water kept inside the vessels.
The discovery was made when builders dug up the courtyard of a former convent to make room for a new Christian centre.
