The Sea of Galilee Boat

Ed Rachal Foundation Nautical Archaeology Series

By: Shelley Wachsmann

Narrated by: Charles Henderson Norman

Winner of the Biblical Archaeology Society’s Award for best popular book published in archaeology.

On a cold, cloudy day in early February 1985, Shelley Wachsmann, then resident nautical archaeologist for the Israel Department of Antiquities and Museums, drove to Kibbutz Ginosar, an agricultural settlement near the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Two brothers, avid amateur archaeologists, had found a boat buried in the lake, its outlines revealed by receding lake waters. The boat was "possibly ancient," according to the handwritten note placed on Wachsmann's desk a day or two before. So begins the fascinating story of The Sea of Galilee Boat, as Wachsmann narrates the intriguing discovery and painstaking excavation of the very first biblical-era boat ever found in the Sea of Galilee.

The book is published by Texas A&M University Press. The audiobook will be published by University Press Audiobooks.

"An excellent model for archaeological reporting that bridges the gap between research and the lay reader." (The Biblical Archaeologist)

"Wachsmann's pleasure in his work is evident and well conveyed by his personal reflections." (American Journal of Archaeology)

"A pleasure to read; it is good science, and it is just plain fun." (Biblical Archaeology Review)

©1995, 2009 Shelley Wachsmann (P)2019 Redwood Audiobooks

Discovery, preservation, excavation and history

The Jesus Boat - that is what this Galilea Boat became known as in popular media, much to the team working on its chagrin. The boat is a 1st century Galilean boat used for fishing - much like that which Jesus would have used - but highly unlikely to be the one in which he actually was. But the idea it could be was latched on in the media and some people's minds.

Discovered in the 1980's, during a drought, this book tells the story of its excavation, protection and movement into a controlled environment. The book alternates between telling the gruelling story of protecting the extremely fragile boat while trying to move it, and the history of the 1st century Galilean area. told by experts on the removal team, with historians filling in the 1st century details it is an extremely interesting read for fans of both history and of the technical details of excavation, preservation and restoration.

Charles Henderson Norman does well with narration. This is the second or third book of his related to restoration that I have listened to and he is good at the genre. He is clear and makes even the most complex and difficult sections easy to follow. He talks slightly faster than most narrators I have listened to, but this is not a significant issue at all.

Worth checking out.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this review voluntarily.

Accessible Archaeology

I have never visited an excavation, let alone participated in one. But listening to The Sea of Galilee Boat, I feel as I might imagine the experience. From the pressure of preparations that begins the moment the artifact is discovered, to the importance of assembling a proper team, to correcting misreporting in the media and interacting with observers, the book provides a detailed first-person account of the excavation of a significant archaeological find.

The book also provides some history that might be easier to grasp through reading rather than listening. But the narrator does a respectable job voicing the text. It was dry in parts by his voice provided dimension and interest. As a small aside, those that listen at an increased speed may find there are moments where it is too fast, so perhaps try a notch slower than usual if that is the case.

I am providing a voluntary, unbiased review based on a review copy of the audio book that was provided to me.

Enjoyable embellishment of archeological discovery!

I would look at such a discovery and see a very old boat. What I heard made the ancient boat a vessel of life from the past to bring inspiration into 2023. Thanks to y’all.

COULD THIS BOAT HAVE BEEN JESUS'S??

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This book is an archeology story - for sure. From the surprising discovery, the unearthing (or unbeaching in this case), salvaging, documenting, transporting, researching, preserving, preserving and finally displaying for the public, all scientific aspects are here. However, this archeology book is really presented as an adventure story which could be titled “Raiders of the Lost Boat”. There’s international travel, health threats, risk of suffocation by clay, underwater diving and a race against decaying time. The archeology info is presented in relatable style - concise and understandable for an interested novice to the subject. The bonus of this book / boat story is the ancillary stories. These stories include the history of the Sea of Galilee, first century boating life, the Jewish Roman Battle of Migdal, first century boat building and even a Bible study to determine an answer to two popular questions “Did Jesus own this boat?” and “Did Jesus use this boat?” It is not surprising that these two questions capture the public’s imagination because the word boat is mentioned 50 times in the Gospels.
The combination of a technical story with plenty of humor and a vocal performer -Charles Henderson Norman - who reads with passion, empathy and humor makes this audiobook my nomination for Best Audiobook of 2019!
A spoiler alert, kind of - the boat is made to float again - kind of.
Also a rainbow appears all too coincidentally multiple times to give encouragement and a possible divine blessing.
Listen to this book because it is so much more than a story of a very significant archeological discovery of the only first century boat from the Sea of Galilee.

interesting

never thought I would be interested in listing to a audio book about a boat.

Detailed and Entertaining

Sometimes books of this nature are dry and boring. This detailed exploration of a boat found on the Sea of Galilee contains both the entertaining speculation as well as the facts. The personal nature of the writing style makes it much more interesting than it could have been. The author does research and exploration far beyond what one would expect.
The book is well narrated by Charles Henderson Norman.
I was given this free audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Compelling narrative and great delivery

While this wasn’t quite what I was expecting, I really enjoyed the glimpse into history and the detail of the archeology.