Ancient town (present-day Tall Hum) in Israel, located about 4 km SW of where the Jordan river flows into Lake Genesareth. Not mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, Capernaum was by the time of Jesus Christ a thriving town. According to the New Testament (e.g. Matthew 4:13), Capernaum was the starting point of Jesus' activities in Galilee.
Recent archaeological digs have revealed the ruins of several impressively-sized structures, including a very large synagogue constructed around 400.