Capernaum

This article is about the village. For the film, see Capernaum (film).

"Capharnaum" redirects here. For the band, see Capharnaum (band).

Capernaum
כְּפַר נַחוּם (Hebrew) (Kǝfar Naḥūm)
Kapharnaum, Kepharnōkón, Kafr Nāḥūm, Talḥūm
Ruins of the 4th-century Capernaum synagogue
Location within Israel
32°52′52″N 35°34′30″E
Type	Settlement
Periods	Hasmonean, Roman, Byzantine, early Islamic periods
Cultures	Jewish (Second Temple and Talmudic eras), Christian
Location	Plain of Ginosar, Sea of Galilee, Israel
Region	Galilee
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 in Israel, 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 successively at the same spot. A house progressively turned into a church during the 4th and 5th centuries is held by Christian tradition to have been the home of Saint Peter.

Capernaum's 4th-century synagogue (detail with columns and benches)

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.