Founded on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in c. 19 A.D., Tiberias became through the centuries a focal point of culture and commerce in northern Israel. Most notably, Tiberias grew quickly after the mid-second century A.D. as a bastion of Jewish life and learning. By the fourth century, the city had become a major destination for Christian pilgrims touring the many holy sites of the Galilee region. Tiberias continued to prosper after the Arab conquest when it became the district capital of Jund al-Urdunn.
Excavations have been ongoing throughout various parts of the ancient city center of Tiberias since the 1950s and have exposed many impressive remains, such as the Roman southern gate, sections of the main north-south street and its two phases of shops, a bathhouse, churches, the congregational mosque, houses of the Islamic period and even an industrial complex related to the sugar industry of the Crusader-Ayyubid period.
After 13 years working in Tiberias, Katia Cytryn-Silverman is joined by Katja Soennecken to explore the surroundings of the Byzantine church, as well as what seems to be a Crusader chapel, and the approach to both structures from the main north-south street.
Sea of Galilee, Northern Israel
February 14 - March 11, 2022
1 Week
Friday, February 11, 2022
Credit is offered by the Rothberg Internation School for an additional registration fee
Katia Cytryn-Silverman: the Hebrew University
Katja Soennecken: The German Protestant Institute of Archaeology