When did the boat displayed at the Yigal Allon Center capsize?

 

The boat displayed in the Yigal Allon Center was exposed in 1986 by a fall in the water level of Lake Kinneret. It had been preserved in the lake because of the clay around it. The reason that many Christians were excited about its discovery is that it has been dated from 100 BCE to 100 CE, which includes the time during which Jesus of Nazareth lived.

 

Following the murder of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas, Jesus took over John’s ministry in the Galilee. Jesus’ base was in Capernaum and his preaching would have been in the towns on the northern shore of Lake Kinneret. Many of those to whom Jesus preached would have been fishermen. Peter, John and James were three of his disciples who gave up their livelihoods as fishermen to join him, and this is the type of boat they would have used for their fishing. Jesus probably also preached to people on the shore from a boat like this. 

 

This boat was found a bit south of Ginosar, by the former town of Magdala. Magdala was a fishing village on Lake Kinneret close to Tiberius. Jesus taught here and healed an afflicted woman Mary Magdalene, and she would follow him in his missionary. She also made her hometown of Magdala famous to readers of the New Testament. An archeological park at the site of the town includes the ruins of an ancient synagogue.

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But why did this fisherman’s boat capsize close to the town of Magdala? A strong possibility is that this boat was sunk during the Battle of Migdal that took place during the Great Revolt of the Jews against Rome between 66 to 70 CE. The first place in the Galilee to be attacked by the Romans was Yodfat and Magdala was next.

 

Many armed Galileans joined in the defense of Magdala, although as at Gamla many inhabitants of the city were reluctant participants. The lopsided battle is described by the historian Josephus. The Jews were soon routed by the Romans. Magdala was protected by a wall, but was unprotected from the lakeside and many Jews attempted to escape by fishing boat. Vespasian had anticipated this and the boats of the townspeople were no match for those of the Romans and a massacre ensued. Some 6,500 Jews died in the battle. Shipwrecks and bloated corpses littered the shoreline.

 

In sum, this particular boat may not have capsized at the time of Jesus, since the Great Revolt occurred about 40 years after his death. Nevertheless, it was the type of boat used by his disciples and other fishermen during this period.