MORnAND:ARCIIAEOI.OGYINNEWTF$TAMENTCOURSES 139Informalionthatisenhancingourunderstandingoftheprivalelivesofthe
ancientGalileanshasneverbeenasavailableasilistoday.Forexample,
ananiclebyMarkChanceyandEricMeyersprovidesa valuableovelView
ofthe archaeologyandhistoryofScpphorisas wellasacredibleargu~
mentabouttheresidentsofthecitybeingjewish(apointdiscussedin
moredetailbelow),10IntheirrichlyilluslnHedpresentation,Chanceyand
Meyersrelatethedevelopmentofthecityfroma smallsettlementinthe
IronAgetoa smalljewishcommunityandmilitaryoutpostduringthe
I-Iasmoneanperiod,emergingintothecapilalofGalileeduringthereign
ofHerod.Significantinthearchaeologicalmaterialisthefactthatthesire
didnotbecomeawell-populatedciryuntilIheearlyfirstcentury.Only
withthebuildingprojectsofHerodandespeciallyhissonHerodAntipas
(beginningin4 Il.CE.andcontinuingthroughoutthefirstcenturyC.E.)do
weseethedramaticexpansionofScpphorisintheheanofGalilee.Inthe
timeofjesus,Scpphorishadgrowntoacityoften tofifteenthousand
people.Sepphoris,asthecapitalofGalilee,waslocatedinaprimeadmin-
istrativeposition;itoverlookedoneofthemos!fenileagriculturalregions
inallofPalestine,witheasyaccess 10 theeast-westcorridorscrossingthe
valleyfromthelaketotheMediterraneanthatlinkedGalileetotherestof
theworld,
InthecaseofTiberias,wefindasimilardevelopment.johnDominic
Crossanancl.lonathanHeed'soverviewofthecity,alongwiththedrawings
that werecommissioned fortheir book, Excavatingjesus:Beneaththe
Stones,BehindtheTexts,offersa usefulstaningpointforclassroomdiscus-
sions.^11 ThebuildingofthecitywasinitiatedbyHerodAntipasaround
17-23C.E. andcontinued intothemiddleofthe firstcentury.Tiberias,
namedaftertheemperorTiberius,W.ISpositionedinanareathatallowed
foradminislrativecontrolovertradepassingIhroughtheregionalongthe
lakeshoreroadanddomin.anceoverthelivelyfishingindustryfoundin
almostalltheVillagesscalleredaroundthelake,12WhilemOSIoftheHero-
diancity is unexcavated, a small section ofa Homan theater, a gate
complex,anda pavedRomanroadhavebeenfound.Thediscoveryoftwo
EarlyRoman lead weightsfromTiberiasthatusetheterlll agoral1omoi
(marketofficials)isintriguingduetothementionoftheciry'sagoraand
10 /l-brkChanct'yandEricM.Meyers,"HowJcwishWas5epphorisinJesus'Time?"BAR
26 (2000):18-33,61.
IIJohnDominicCrossan andJonath:mReed, ExcavatillSjes/ls:Be/ll.'aththeSto,ws,
lJebilldtbeTexts(SanFranci:sco:IlarperSanFranci.5co, 200 I),62-7l.
12 A dctailedMlalysisofthefishingindustryinGalilee,wilhimplicationsforJesusand
hisfollowers, isfoundinK. C.Hanson,"111CGalileanfishin}o: EconomyandIheJesus
Trodilion,~oro 27 (1)97):99-111.