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A team of archaeologists says it is “absolutely” certain that it has uncovered the lost biblical city of Bethsaida. The claim follows a major summer excavation in northern Israel, where researchers unearthed an impressive collection of ancient artifacts, according to the New York Post.

The Bethsaida-Julias excavation team has now completed its 10th season of archaeological work on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Over the years, researchers have uncovered oil lamps, cosmetic tools, coins and dozens of other valuable artifacts — findings that have strengthened their long-standing theory that the ruins at el-Araj are the remains of the ancient city where, according to the Gospels, Jesus performed numerous miracles.

“We take into account the entire body of accumulated evidence from every excavation, which ultimately comes together to create a historical portrait of the ancient settlement. That picture becomes clearer with every new season,” excavation academic director Dr. Steven Notley wrote in an official blog post.

What did archaeologists discover?

After a decade of work at the site, researchers have gained extensive insight into the Roman-era history of Bethsaida-Julias, dating from the first to third centuries AD. But excavations have also revealed artifacts from several other periods.

Among the latest discoveries are:

• Roman-period walls, a basalt mortar used for grinding grain and a collection of coins.
• An intriguing fragment of half of a Doric capital, which once adorned a public building.
• Evidence of an earlier Hellenistic settlement hidden beneath the site.
• Chalkware vessels and several intact Herodian lamps, which were produced in Jerusalem only until AD 70. According to the researchers, these finds provide compelling evidence that Jews lived in the city during the first century, when Bethsaida was transformed into the Roman city of Julias.

Researchers also uncovered a curious piece of architectural history: Ottoman-era owners of the property built stables directly on top of ancient Roman structures without laying foundations. Yet the ancient stone walls somehow survived the centuries without collapsing.

Challenging stereotypes about Galilee

The wealth of artifacts is challenging the long-standing assumption that people living in Galilee at the time were poor, illiterate peasants.

Instead, the discoveries suggest that the towns and settlements visited by Jesus were thriving communities, even under Roman occupation.

For Dr. Notley, the findings from the 10th excavation season represent a decisive moment in the long-running debate over the site’s identity.

“Everything we recover from the ground confirms and strengthens this identification. Not a single discovery contradicts it. I have no doubt that Jesus spent a great deal of time here,” he said, describing the site as “the last lost city of the Gospels.”

According to biblical tradition, Bethsaida was where Jesus healed a blind man and fed thousands of people with five loaves of bread and two fish.

The city is also believed to have been the hometown of the apostles Peter, Andrew and Philip.

Excavations at el-Araj have been underway since 2016. During that time, archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of ancient churches, remnants of residential buildings and remarkable mosaic masterpieces.

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