The discovery happened during a severe drought in January 1986. The Sea of Galilee was severely dried that it exposed large patches of lake bed along the shoreline. A strange object poking out of the drained lake bed caught the attention of the two brothers. An archaeologist later identified the object as an ancient vessel — about 2,000 years ago — judging from the method of the vessel’s construction.
Scholars say that the vessel may be a fishing boat or even a war vessel. But to a lot of Christians, the boat will always be the “Jesus boat.” It will forever remind them of the Gospel stories of Jesus and his disciples, some of whom were fishermen themselves.