Today, the ornate Basilica of the Annunciation marks that spot, and Nazareth is the largest Arab city in Northern Israel, with about 65,000 residents. Muslims outnumber Christians two to one in the noisy, crowded city.
The archeological find shows how different it was 2000 years ago: There were no Christians or Muslims, the Jewish Temple stood in Jerusalem, and tiny Nazareth stood near a battleground between Roman rulers and Jewish guerrillas.
The Jews of Nazareth dug camouflaged grottos to hide from Roman invaders, said archeologist Yardena Alexandre, excavations director at the Israel Antiquities Authority. But the hamlet was so far off the beaten path that the caves were apparently not needed, she said.
Based on clay and chalk shards found at the site, the dwelling appeared to house a “simple Jewish family,’’ Alexandre added, as workers carefully chipped away at mud with small pickaxes to reveal stone walls.
“This may well have been a place that Jesus and his contemporaries were familiar with,’’ Alexandre said. A young Jesus may have played around the house with his cousins and friends. “It’s a logical suggestion.’’
Archeologist Stephen Pfann, president of the University of The Holy Land, noted: “It’s the only witness that we have from that area that shows us what the walls and floors were like inside Nazareth in the first century.’’ Pfann was not involved in the dig.
Alexandre said workers uncovered the first signs of the dwelling last summer, but it became clear only this month that it was a structure from the days of Jesus.
Alexandre’s team found remains of a wall, a hideout, a courtyard and a water system that appeared to collect water from the roof and supply it to the home. The discovery was made when builders dug up the courtyard of a former convent to make room for a new Christian center, just yards from the basilica.
It is not clear how big the dwelling is. Alexandre’s team has uncovered about 900 square feet of the house, but it may have been for an extended family and could be much larger, she said.
