Sepphoris

Sepphoris (/sɛˈfɔːrɪs/ sef-OR-iss; Ancient Greek: Σεπφωρίς, romanized: Sepphōris), known in Arabic as Saffuriya^[2] (صفورية Ṣaffūriya)^[a] and in Hebrew as Tzipori (צִפּוֹרִי Ṣīppōrī)^[4][3] is one of the most excavated and studied archaeological site in Israel.^[5] The archeological site encompasses the region previously populated by many civiliations, most recently the former Palestinian village of Saffuriya.^[6] The site is located in the central Galilee region of Israel, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north-northwest of Nazareth.^[7] It lies 286 meters (938 ft) above sea level and overlooks the Beit Netofa Valley. The site holds a rich and diverse historical and architectural legacy that includes remains from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, early Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk and Ottoman periods.

Sepphoris was a significant town in ancient Galilee. Originally named for the Hebrew word for bird, the city was also known as Eirenopolis and Diocaesarea during different periods of its history. In the first century CE, it was a Jewish city,^[8] and following the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132–135, Sepphoris was one of the Galilean centers where rabbinical families from neighboring Judea relocated.^[9] In late antiquity, Sepphoris appears to have been predominantly Jewish,^[10] serving as a spiritual and cultural center, though it also housed a Christian bishopric and maintained a multi-ethnic population.^[11] Remains of a synagogue dated to the first half of the fifth century were discovered on the northern side of town.^[12]

Since late antiquity, Sepphoris was believed to be the birthplace of Mary, mother of Jesus, and the village where Saints Anna and Joachim are often said to have resided, where today a fifth-century basilica is excavated at the site honouring the birth of Mary.^[13] The town was later conquered by Arab Rashidun forces during the 7th-century Muslim conquest of the Levant and remained under successive Muslim rule until the Crusades. Before the 1948 Arab–Israeli War,^[14] Saffuriya was a Palestinian Arab village with a population of approximately 5,000 people at the time of its depopulation. Moshav Tzippori was established adjacent to the site in 1949. It falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council, and in 2023 had a population of 1,130.

The area where the remains of the ancient city have been excavated, occupied until 1948 by the Arab village,^[15] was designated an archaeological reserve named Tzipori National Park in 1992.^[16] Notable structures at the site include a Roman theatre, two early Christian churches, a Crusader fort partly rebuilt by Zahir al-Umar in the 18th century, and over sixty different mosaics dating from the third to the sixth century CE.^[17][18]

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