Magdala

On the west coastline of the Sea of Galilee, near the base of the towering Mt. Arbel, lie the ruins of the ancient city of Magdala. The ancient town of Magdala is believed to be the hometown of Mary Magdalene. When Mary encountered Jesus, He drove seven demons out from her and she became His follower. She was a witness to his crucifixion, burial, and the first to testify to Jesus's resurrection.
Magdala was discovered when a priest decided to build a retreat center near the shores of Sea of Galilee. In 2006 the first parcel was purchased and in 2009, workers began to dig the foundation for the guesthouse. As they dug, they discovered a First Century Synagogue where Jesus visited and taught. Inside the synagogue, they also found the Magdala Stone, dating to before the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70. Many archaeologists call the discovery of the Magdala stone the most significant archaeological find in the past 50 years because it details images of the 2nd Temple before its destruction.
As archaeologists continued to dig, they discovered an entire first-century Jewish town lying just below the surface. So far, the dig has uncovered three ritual purification baths, market places, residential areas, thousands of first-century coins (including numerous “widow’s mites”), lots of period pottery, and the structures for fish salting and processing. In the time of Jesus, Magdala was a thriving fishing village. The fisherman brought their catch here to process and sell for export. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus says Magdala had a population of 40,000 people and a fleet of 230 boats about 30 years after Jesus' death.Read more