A Galilean Kitchen
This kitchen is near the door of the house. A domed oven has been reconstructed; it was probably used for heating and cooking when the weather was cold. There would be similar ovens outside for use at other times.The outer part of the oven gathered the heat and smoke to be exited through the chimney. The fire was placed in the inner part. Animal dung, the pulp of pressed olives, and small branches were used for fuel. A cooking pot rests on the inner oven. The top of the outer oven was used for storage.
To the left of the oven are household implements for food preparation. The hand grinder was used to make flour from grain (wheat for the wealthy or for special occasions; barley for others). The baskets were made from reeds or palm leaves and were used for gathering or storing food. The large stone jar on the left probably contained water carried from a nearby well.
Dried onions hang from the ceiling. An engaged bride would spend much time here with her mother, learning the skills of collecting and preparing food.
The roof of this house is made of wooden beams covered with tree branches; on top of the branches is a layer of clay. Capernaum homes had this type of roof (the lame man's friends let him down through an opening in on of them), while those of Korazin had stone slabs instead of branches. During the rainy days, the clay would absorb the water, sealing the roof so the rest of the rainwater ran off. Each year the roof needed to be repaired. In some cases, the roof became a "courtyard" where people worked and slept.
