English/Nat Archaeologists in Israel have rediscovered a village along the shores of Galilee, where Jesus reputedly performed some of his most famous miracles, and where five of the twelve apostles lived. International scholars believe the excavation of Bethsaida will provide further information about the history of Christianity and the Bible. For nearly two thousand years Bethsaida was lost to the world and was merely a name in the pages of the Bible. But now that name has been give substance thanks to the work and determination of a team of archaeologists. They've been excavating the site of the village and their work has revealed that the culture and social life of the area was predominantly Jewish. According to the Bible Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes at Bethsaida, and at least five of the twelve apostles lived there before moving away to spread the word of the Gospel. But archaeologists are also hoping that their efforts will unearth the mysterious "Q- Document," a collection of Jesus' sayings which his followers put together after his death. The discovery of the village has excited scholars around the world. SOUNDBITE: "This possibly was the home of half if not more of the closest followers of Jesus. It is the only town that goes directly back to the time of Jesus - you know all of these towns were levelled about the time of the Roman war...others were rebuilt - Capernaum, Chorazin, this did not rebuild." SUPER CAPTION: Elizabeth McNamer, American Theologian Bethsaida, Capernaum and Chorazin were dubbed the "evangelical triangle" because they were the areas where Jesus performed some of his most famous miracles. But Bethsaida is also unique because it is the only one of the three that has remained unchanged since the 1st Century. It's located on a hill just East of where the Jordan River enters the Sea of Galilee, and the excavations reveal that houses in the area had distinctive features. SOUNDBITE: "From the time of Jesus we have a few houses that we have excavated in the section of a street that we uncovered. Theses houses are...they have a certain plan of having a central courtyard, and they are surrounded by rooms, they have very large kitchens and one of them has got a wine cellar". SUPER CAPTION: Rami Arav: Archaeologist - University of Nebraska The Syrians had formerly controlled the area before it was taken out of their hands by the Israelis in the Mideast War of 1967. Syrian troops had criss-crossed the hill with a sequence of deep defence trenches. It was here on the mounds of earth on the trenches' shoulders, that pottery shards were found amongst the spent shells and abandoned rifles. Analysis revealed that the fragments dated back to the time of Jesus. But actual digging at the 22-acre site only began 20 years after the war. Since then the team has unearthed the remains of three houses built with smoke-gray basalt rocks. One of them could have been the home of a fishermen because archaeologists discovered anchors, fishing hooks and a needle for mending nets. Another property which the team dubbed "Salome's House" after the mother of the Apostles James and John, had a wine cellar with four jars, an oven, and two basalt slabs used for grinding grain. But it's possible the village would never have seen the light of day had it not been for the interest or determination of Bargil Pixner, an archaeologist and Benedictine monk. He visited the area shortly after the Israelis captured it because he was convinced that the village really did exist. SOUNDBITE: "We find that a village that is practically the same as at the time of Jesus. Besides the houses as they stood, we see the roads where he passed." You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e6b2342aacafc939979d6bd4dfd452fb Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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