Archaeologists excavating in northern Israel announced they are "absolutely" certain they have discovered the lost biblical city of Bethsaida, a site where Jesus is said to have performed numerous miracles. The Bethsaida-Julias excavation team has spent 10 seasons digging at the el-Araj site on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, uncovering artifacts that they say confirm its identity.
During their most recent season, the team recovered lamps, makeup tools, coins, and other artifacts. Dr. Steven Notley, the excavation's academic director, stated that the accumulation of evidence paints a clearer picture of the site's historical profile each season. This 10th season significantly enhanced their understanding of Bethsaida-Julias during the Roman period, which spans the first through third centuries CE, though artifacts from earlier eras were also found.
Among the discoveries are Roman-period walls, a basalt mortar, and a Doric capital, which likely adorned a public building. Evidence also suggests an earlier Hellenistic settlement existed beneath the current layers. The team noted that Ottoman-era structures were built directly on top of earlier Roman constructions, a surprising architectural detail that prevented the walls from collapsing over time.
Intact Herodian lamps, exclusively made in Jerusalem before 70 CE, were also unearthed. These lamps serve as definitive markers that Jewish people inhabited the city during the first century, the period when Bethsaida transitioned into the Roman polis known as Julias. These findings suggest that towns and villages visited by Jesus were thriving, even under Roman occupation, challenging notions of Galilean poverty and illiteracy.
Notley has asserted for years that the el-Araj site is the lost city of Bethsaida, stating that nothing found has challenged this identification. He referred to the site as "the last lost city of the Gospels." According to the Gospels, Jesus restored a blind man's sight and fed thousands with five loaves of bread and two fish in Bethsaida. The apostles Peter, Andrew, and Philip are also believed to have originated from the city. The Bethsaida-Julias excavation project began in 2016, and previous seasons have uncovered mosaic masterpieces, churches, and house walls.