First Jesus-era house found in Nazareth

Extracted from Signon SanDiego

NAZARETH, Israel — Days before Christmas, archaeologists on Monday unveiled what they said were the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth that can be dated back to the time of Jesus - a find that could shed new light on what the hamlet was like during the period the New Testament says Jesus lived there as a boy.

The dwelling and older discoveries of nearby tombs in burial caves suggest that Nazareth was an out-of-the-way hamlet of around 50 houses on a patch of about four acres (1.6 hectares). It was evidently populated by Jews of modest means who kept camouflaged grottos to hide from Roman invaders, said archaeologist Yardena Alexandre, excavations director at the Israel Antiquities Authority,

Based on clay and chalk shards found at the site, the dwelling appeared to house a "simple Jewish family," Alexandre added, as workers at the site carefully chipped away at mud with small pickaxes to reveal stone walls.

Nazareth holds a cherished place in Christianity. It is believed to be the town where Christian tradition says Jesus grew up and where an angel told Mary she would bear the child of God.

The Church of the Annunciation seen alongside the excavation site of the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth, Israel that can be dated back to the time of Jesus, Monday,Dec. 21, 2009. Archaeologist Yardena Alexandre of the Israel Antiquities Authority says remains of a wall, a hideout and a cistern were found after builders dug up an old convent courtyard in the northern Israeli city.

Father Jacques Icaram walks in the excavation site of the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth, Israel that can be dated back to the time of Jesus, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. Archaeologist Yardena Alexandre, unseen, of the Israel Antiquities Authority says remains of a wall, a hideout and a cistern were found after builders dug up an old convent courtyard in the northern Israeli city.

Israel's Antiquities Authority workers are seen at the excavation site of the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth, Israel that can be dated back to the time of Jesus, Monday,Dec. 21, 2009. Archaeologist Yardena Alexandre, unseen, of the Israel Antiquities Authority says remains of a wall, a hideout and a cistern were found after builders dug up an old convent courtyard in the northern Israeli city.