Magdala

Magdala (meaning tower or greatness) was a town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, mentioned in Matthew 15:39 as the place Jesus came to after feeding the four thousand (though some manuscripts read Magadan). The town is identified with the modern site of Migdal, where archaeological excavations since 2009 have uncovered a first-century synagogue — the Magdala Stone from this synagogue bearing one of the earliest known representations of the Jerusalem temple's menorah.

Magdala is primarily significant as the hometown of Mary Magdalene, whose surname (Magdalene) derives from the town. She was one of the women who followed Jesus from Galilee, witnessed the crucifixion and burial, and was among the first witnesses of the resurrection. The synagogue at Magdala establishes that the town had a substantial Jewish community during Jesus's ministry and confirms the archaeological reality of the Galilean world in which the Gospels are set.