The chronology of Capernaum in the early Islamic period.

• Author: Magness, Jodi

Capernaum, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, is the site of an ancient village and a monumental stone synagogue. The synagogue, surrounded by a Roman-Byzantine village, is located on property in the custody of the Franciscan order. To the northeast lie the remains of an early Islamic village that is the subject of this article. This part of the site is in the custody of the Greek Orthodox Church. Here, Vassilios Tzaferis conducted excavations from 1978 to 1982, which have since been published in full (Tzaferis 1989). The excavation report includes a chapter on the domestic, non-glazed pottery by Michal Peleg, and one on the glazed wares by Elizabeth K. Berman. There is no doubt that the village at Capernaum flourished for centuries following the Muslim conquest. However, as Stanislao Loffreda (1990), Alan G. Walmsley (1994), and Donald Whitcomb (1995: 494) have noted, Tzaferis' chronology is incorrect. based on a reexamination of the published ceramic and numismatic evidence, I propose a revised chronology for the two earliest occupation levels (strata V and IV).

One problem central to this discussion concerns the dating of glazed pottery and "Mefjer ware," a type of fine, buff ware characteristic of the early Islamic period in Palestine. According to Tzaferis, the Capernaum excavations provide evidence for the appearance of glazed pottery and Mefjer ware in Palestine by the mid-seventh century C.E. (Tzaferis 1989: xix, 30). Before examining the basis for the dating of these ceramic types, it is necessary to review the occupational sequence at Capernaum.

THE OCCUPATIONAL SEQUENCE

Tzaferis' excavations were concentrated in four main areas, designated A, B, C, and D. Within these areas, five main occupational phases were distinguished (V-I), on the basis of separate floor levels and architectural modifications within the buildings (Tzaferis 1989: 1-9). The published dates are as follows:

Stratum V early seventh century to 650 (all dates C.E.) Stratum IV 650 to 750 Stratum III 750 to mid-ninth century Stratum II mid-ninth to mid-tenth century Stratum I mid-tenth century to 1033

The chronology of the site was established in the following manner:

The five main floor levels found enable five occupational phases to be distinguished, allowing for controlled, sealed loci from which most of the pottery exemplars were chosen. Dated coins and oil lamps accompanying these established phases also aid in dating. (Peleg 1989: 31)

In other words, the primary basis for dating was the pottery, together with numismatic evidence and oil lamps, when available. Here the first indications of circular argumentation appear. Since Peleg and Berman assumed that glazed pottery and Mefjer ware dated to the Umayyad period, the first level in which these types appear is attributed to the Umayyad period. This was then used as a basis for assigning these types to the Umayyad period! In her discussion of Mefjer ware, Peleg noted that "at Ramla, this ware appears in stratified contexts from the first period on the site - from the beginning of the 8th century A.D." (Peleg 1989: 103).(1) Thus, based on the evidence from Ramla, Peleg and Berman were predisposed to date glazed pottery and Mefjer ware to the Umayyad period. As I have noted elsewhere, the incorrect assignment of these types to the Umayyad period because of the Ramla excavations is common in Israel (Magness 1994: 204-5, n. 3; also see Walmsley 1994). At Capernaum, however, the association of glazed pottery and Mefjer ware with a coin hoard would seem to support the assignment of these types to the Umayyad period. As Berman stated, "the use of glazing at Capernaum during the Umayyad period is borne out by evidence directly associated with the gold coin hoard. Sherds with yellow and green monochrome lead glaze were found among the debris surrounding the hoard. Thus, one can decidedly conclude that glazing was practiced during the early decades of the 8th century A.D. and probably earlier" (Berman 1989: 124). In fact, the chronology of the two earliest strata, V and IV, was established on the basis of this coin hoard. The numismatic evidence is thus crucial for understanding the chronology of Capernaum.

THE COIN HOARD

The hoard consists of 282 gold dinars of the Umayyad "post-reform" type, dating from 696-97 to 743-44. They were found buried beneath a paving stone in a room in area A. The hoard provided "clear evidence for the dating of Stratum IV," with which it was associated (Tzaferis 1989: 17; Wilson 1989: 145). The publication team concluded that the hoard must have been buried shortly after the latest coins in it were minted:

The latest dinar in the Capernaum hoard is dated A.H. 126, which means that the hoard could not have been buried before A.D. 744. It may be possible, in this case, to pinpoint the date even more precisely. According to ancient historians, a disastrous earthquake shook the Jordan Valley in A.D. 746, severely damaging the Temple Mount, destroying Khirbet Mefjer, damaging Jerash, and, significantly, smashing Tiberias, some 19 km. from Capernaum. . . . Evidently both history and nature conspired against Capernaum during the years A.D. 744-746. First, the civil chaos following the death of Hisham reached out into Palestine, particularly involving such aristocratic estates as Khirbet Minyeh, whose master could not have avoided being on the wrong side of the conflict at some point. Under the dangerous circumstances, the owner of the hoard deposited his treasure. In the very midst of this conflict, the earthquake played havoc up and down the entire Jordan Valley. If the hoard's owner was not killed in the succession conflict...