Israeli archaeologists believe that they managed to find the real birthplace of the apostle Peter, his brother - the apostle Andrew, and also the apostle Philip.
The settlement discovered by researchers is located in the north of the Sea of Galilee. According to the archaeologists who conducted the excavations, these apostles were born in the city of Bethsaida Julia, named after the daughter of the emperor Augustus, Haaretz reports.
Scientists were able to find a Roman bath, which clearly indicates that this place was a city, and not a fishing village.
The city of Bethsaida is mentioned by the historian Josephus Flavius, who writes that Herod Philip II turned a fishing village into a city.
So far, scholars have considered three areas as the site where the city of Bethsaida Julia could have been built: El Araj, where the Roman bath was found, and two other sites nearby by the Sea of Galilee. The fact that a bathhouse and several other Roman buildings were found in El Araj under the ruins of the Byzantine period indicates that a city most likely existed here.
The researchers dated the remains of the buildings to the 1st - 3rd centuries. AD They were two meters below the Byzantine buildings. During the excavations, scientists managed to find a Roman mosaic, as well as two coins: a bronze coin from the end of the 2nd century and a silver denarius depicting the emperor Nero 65-66 AD.
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In addition, the researchers found the remains of walls decorated with smalt, which may have been part of a church built later. Bishop Willibald, during his visit to the Holy Land, mentioned a church built over the house where the apostles Peter and Andrew lived. Perhaps this building is this church.
Previously, scientists believed that El Araj was under water during the Roman Empire, but new finds prove that this is not the case. The layer where the Roman bath was discovered is 211 meters below sea level. According to archaeologists, the level of the lake at that time was lower than was commonly believed.
The specialists also found that El Araj was covered with silt, which could have been caused by the overflow of the Jordan River nearby. In addition, the site was found to have been abandoned between 250 and 350. AD
At present, researchers have no consensus as to where the Apostle Peter was born. Some believe that his place of birth is Bethsaida of Galilee. Others believe that the apostle Peter was born in the city of Bethsaida Julia.