ABSTRACT
This chapter brings together the available archaeological evidence for Roman-period and Byzantine Nazareth, excluding that from the Church of the Annunciation and Sisters of Nazareth sites. The rock-cut tombs surrounding central Nazareth are reviewed and the problems of dating these considered, stressing the importance of typological dating given the paucity of sealed assemblages of artefacts associated with them. Epigraphic evidence, including the famous Nazareth Inscription, is discussed, leading to the conclusion that none of this offers a reliable source for Roman-period Nazareth. The hitherto overlooked significance of the many Roman-period and Byzantine glass vessels from Nazareth today in museum collections is considered. Non-funerary evidence from twentieth-century fieldwork in Nazareth is discussed and the contribution of both the Israel Antiquities Authority and American archaeologists reviewed. Overall, this material is shown to be consistent with the transformation of a Roman-period Jewish village into a Byzantine Christian pilgrimage site.
