Believer In Yeshua
Capernaum Insula
This is a typical "insula" as found in Capernaum. Note how it is made up of the local black igneous rock of the local area. Any building in any other sort of rock has to of had its material imported at some cost. An example of this is the 4/5th century nearby Synagogue.
We all too easily call the people who lived in Capernaum, "simple country folk". Whereas, the position of Capernaum meant that it must have been quite cosmopolitan with traders from far and wide stopping at the custom post and the garrison of a Roman Cohort.
These Insula consisted of several small roofed rooms clustered around a large open courtyard. As you can see they were anything but small. Whilst much of the stone for these Insula is unhewn, there can be little doubt that their occupants would have decorated them.
Many suggest that the roofs of these homes had straw, branches or thatched roofs. However, anyone who has spent any time by the Galilee lake would immediately realise that such roofs would be impractical. The strong winds which whip up on most evenings cause the infamous storms mentioned in the Gospels.
Such, above, conditions mean that roofs made of anything but stone or tiles would easily blow off. The Gospel uses a Greek term, in Mark 2:4, often translated as "dig/digging". This word is used elsewhere in Greek documents of that era for removing or lifting up, roof tiles & slabs. A visit to Chorazin, just a few miles above Capernaum, shows housing with stone slabs as roofs. We also need to remember that large quantities of wood was not a common commodity in the surrounding countryside at that time.
Whilst the archaeological record at present is lacking in details of the type of roof used in Capernaum we should not ignore the evidence of nearby sites such as Chorazin. Further evidence for this type of roofing can be deduced from the small character of the rooms in Capernaum.
Capernaum Insula
This is a typical "insula" as found in Capernaum. Note how it is made up of the local black igneous rock of the local area. Any building in any other sort of rock has to of had its material imported at some cost. An example of this is the 4/5th century nearby Synagogue.
We all too easily call the people who lived in Capernaum, "simple country folk". Whereas, the position of Capernaum meant that it must have been quite cosmopolitan with traders from far and wide stopping at the custom post and the garrison of a Roman Cohort.
These Insula consisted of several small roofed rooms clustered around a large open courtyard. As you can see they were anything but small. Whilst much of the stone for these Insula is unhewn, there can be little doubt that their occupants would have decorated them.
Many suggest that the roofs of these homes had straw, branches or thatched roofs. However, anyone who has spent any time by the Galilee lake would immediately realise that such roofs would be impractical. The strong winds which whip up on most evenings cause the infamous storms mentioned in the Gospels.
Such, above, conditions mean that roofs made of anything but stone or tiles would easily blow off. The Gospel uses a Greek term, in Mark 2:4, often translated as "dig/digging". This word is used elsewhere in Greek documents of that era for removing or lifting up, roof tiles & slabs. A visit to Chorazin, just a few miles above Capernaum, shows housing with stone slabs as roofs. We also need to remember that large quantities of wood was not a common commodity in the surrounding countryside at that time.
Whilst the archaeological record at present is lacking in details of the type of roof used in Capernaum we should not ignore the evidence of nearby sites such as Chorazin. Further evidence for this type of roofing can be deduced from the small character of the rooms in Capernaum.