Excavations at Capernaum /

Capernaum, the earliest mention of which is in the New Testament, was the scene of much of Jesus's Galilean ministry, and hence of more than passing interest historically. Tzaferis's excavation report covers five seasons of work at the site of this provincial town. Capernaum was predominantly Jewish until the 4th-5th centuries CE and then, after changing to a more Byzantine character, became an Arab settlement. What remained of the town was in ruins by the time of the first crusade (1099 CE). The archaeological report is concerned primarily with architecture, pottery, coins, and other small finds (implements, glass, jewelry, and the like). In this respect it represents a traditional approach, with no attention, for example, to the potential contributions of geomorphological, faunal, and botanical evidence in reconstructing the environment or economy of an ancient settlement. No doubt, however, the descriptions included will provide comparisons for other first-millennium CE sites in the Levant. It seems curious that the historical summaries (Chapters 8-10) are placed at the end of the text instead of at the beginning to serve as a frame of reference. The book is well printed, sturdily bound, and generally well illustrated. Very helpful are the 13 site plans and map of the Galilee included in a cover pocket. University libraries. -C. Gabel, Boston University