An ancient boat was discovered in January 1986 on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret), between Kibbutz Ginossar and Migdal. The boat was exposed by a two-year drought and was noticed by members of the kibbutz. The seabed clay had protected the remains from deterioration over the centuries.
The Israel Department. of Antiquities and Museums, assisted by volunteers, urgently conducted a rescue excavation. The boat was cleared of mud, “packaged” in polyurethane foam, and floated up the shore to the Yigal Allon Centre. Supported by fiberglass frames it rests in a conservation'pool. The waterlogged wood wiIl be treated by a heated solution of synthetic wax so that it may eventuality be exhibited in a dry environment.
The boat measures 8.2 x 2.3 meters. Its planks (strakes) were assembled with mortise and tenon joints and the frames were then nailed on. No direct evidence links the boat to any specific historical event or person, but evidently it was used by local villagers for fishing and transport. The boat is dated to the period covering the First Century BCE until the First Century CE the date is based on the study of construction techniques, ceramic chronology as well as on Carbon-14 analysis.
During this period, the lakeside communities witnessed the ministry of Jesus and his disciples. They were also party to the unrest of the Jewish population under the heel of imperial Rome. The Jewish historian of the period, Josephus, describes a fierce sea battle between the Jewish rebels of Migdal and the Roman legions (67 CE) in which Jews were crushed and “the beaches were thick with wrecks”. The Galilee boat may now illuminate many aspects of the history of area.
The conservation process of this unique find is supported by entrance fees as well as by donations.