Page "Sea of Galilee" Paragraph 7

The Sea of Galilee lies on the ancient Via Maris, which linked Egypt with the northern empires.

The Greeks, Hasmoneans, and Romans founded flourishing towns and settlements on the land-locked lake including Gadara, Hippos and Tiberias.

The first-century historian Flavius Josephus was so impressed by the area that he wrote, " One may call this place the ambition of Nature.

" Josephus also reported a thriving fishing industry at this time, with 230 boats regularly working in the lake.

Archaeologists discovered one such boat, nicknamed the Jesus Boat, in 1986.