Drawing upon literary sources and the results of the excavations, it has been possible to reconstruct a part of the town's history. The town is not mentioned in the Old Testament. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that the town came into existence in the second century BC, in the Hasmonean period. The site had no defensive wall and extended along the shore of the nearby lake (from east to west).
The cemetery zone is found 200 meters north of the synagogue, which places it beyond the inhabited area of the town. It extended 3 kilometers to Tabgha, an area which appears to have been dedicated to agriculture, judging by the many oil and grain mills which were discovered in the excavation. Fishing was also a source of income; the remains of another harbour were found to the west of that built by the Franciscans.
According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus selected this town as the center of his public ministry in Galilee after he left the small mountainous hamlet of Nazareth (Matthew 4:12-17). Capernaum has no obvious advantages over any other city in the area, so he probably chose it because it was the home of his first disciples, Simon (Peter) and Andrew. The Gospel of John suggests that Jesus' ministry was centered in a village called Cana.
No sources have been found for the belief that Capernaum was involved in the bloody Jewish revolts against the Romans, the First Jewish-Roman War (AD 66–73) or Bar Kokhba's revolt (132–135), although there is reason to believe that Josephus, one of the Jewish generals during the earlier revolt, was taken to Capernaum (which he called "Kapharnakos") after a fall from his horse in nearby Bethsaida.

On our travels we stopped to wade in the waters of the Jordan River. In this particular photo David, Becky, Kayla and Kristina are dippig their feet in this historical and biblical waterway. We also travelled to the base of the Mt. Hermon and other areas of the Golan Heights; the disputed region between Israel and Syria.
This is a photo of our wonderful and informative tour guide Linford. Here he gives a mini-lecture regarding the Canaanites at the city Tel Dan.