A 2,000-year-old synagogue has been unearthed in a town believed to be the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, a woman mentioned in the Bible as one of Jesus' followers.
The ruins were discovered in Magdala, an ancient Jewish village from the Second Temple period located on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee.
The ancient town is also known as a main rebel base under commander Flavius Josephus during the First Jewish War with the Romans.
The discovery 'casts light on the social and religious lives of the Jews in the area in this period, and reflects a need for a dedicated building for Torah reading and study and for social gatherings,' excavation co-director Dina Avshalom-Gorni, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa, said in a statement.
'We can imagine Mary Magdalene and her family coming to the synagogue here, along with other residents of Magdala, to participate in religious and communal events.'
A 2,000-year-old synagogue has been unearthed in a town believed to be the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, a woman mentioned in the Bible as one of Jesus' followers
The synagogue was designed with a main hall and two separate rooms, and was built out of volcanic basalt, limestone and plaster.
A stone bench carved with images of a seven-branched menorah was found in one of the smaller rooms, the Times of Israel reports.
Six pillars held up the roof, and some of the white plaster walls were decorated with colorful designs.
And archaeologists uncovered several artifacts including pottery candle holders, molded glass bowls, rings and stone utensils used for purification rituals,.
The Bible describes Mary Magdalene as being a prostitute who changes her ways once meeting Jesus
This is also the second sacred temple uncovered in the area – the first was found in 2009 and sits just 650 feet away.
The first was found during an excavation by the Israel Antiquities Authority, which also unearthed Jewish ritual baths, streets, a
