Names

Transliterated Name	Source	Name
Kursi	Byzantine Greek	Κυρσοί

Introduction

Kursi (Byzantine Greek Κυρσοί) is located on the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee. It is the traditional site of the New Testament story of the exorcism of the Garasene demoniac and thus appears to have been a pilgrammage site during Byzantine times. This likely explains why a Byzantine Basilica, Monastery, and Hostel were located there. Vassilios Tzaferis excavated the site over four seasons from 1970 - 1974 (Vassilios Tzaferis in Stern et al, 1993) and excavations began again with the Kursi Excavation Project.

Maps and Plans

• General Plan of Kursi from Stern et al, 1993
  General Plan of Kursi
  
  Stern et al, 1993
• Plan of the Basilica at Kursi from Stern et al, 1993
  Plan of the Basilica at Kursi
  
  Stern et al, 1993

Chronology

Based on ceramic and numismatic evidence, the construction of the church and the monastery began at the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth century CE and met its final destruction and abandonment after an earthquake in the middle of the 8th century CE (Vassilios Tzaferis in Stern et al, 1993).

The complex was badly damaged in its third phase, probably by Persian invaders, but it continued to be used until the mid-eighth century. In 741 CE it was destroyed by an earthquake and abandoned by the Christians. In the last phase of the site's history (the second half of the eighth century), Arabs settled in the complex and made further changes.

Walmsley (2007b:330 n. 32) states that there was a mid-8th century CE destruction level at Kursi but that the ceramics at Kursi in Tsaferis (1983) were badly misdated.

Notes and Further Reading