Search

Low water levels of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Kinneret) in recent decades due to droughts and anthropogenic factors have exposed large portions of the lakebed. Archaeological surveys of the newly exposed areas yielded prehistoric sites, harbours, anchorages, shipwrecks, cargoes and shoreline installations, attesting to changing maritime activity on the lake through time. The different assemblages are presented and discussed within the context of the lake's highly specific physical and climatic settings. Scarcity of shelters, onshore winds and unpredictable lake-level changes influenced human activity, as reflected in the archaeological records. Collectively, the finds represent the history of maritime activity on the Sea of Galilee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recently discovered artificial stone mound on the northern shore of the Dead Sea is a maritime feature exposed by the drying of the lake. Lake-level fluctuations, a loose silt bottom, lack of natural anchorages, and onshore prevailing winds, prevented the long-term planning, construction and maintenance of shore-based harbour installations in this area. This and a similar mound nearby, Rujum el Bahr, are interpreted as structures once used for open-water mooring, providing a firm anchor-hold over a range of lake levels and wind directions. As such, they enabled the use of this economically and strategically important part of the lake by maritime traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]