Archaeologists confirmed a 2,000 year old boat discovered in 1986 was found in what could be Dalmanutha (WikiComms)
Archaeologists confirmed a 2,000 year old boat discovered in 1986 was found in what could be Dalmanutha (WikiComms)

Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old town off the coast of the Sea of Galilee which may be the place Jesus sailed to after feeding thousands of his followers.

In the New Testament, Dalmanutha is named as the place where Jesus sailed to after the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

The ancient town was discovered on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee in Israel's Ginosar valley by a team from the University of Reading.

The archaeologists also confirmed that a 2,000-year-old boat had been uncovered in 1986 on the outskirts of the latest dig. The vessel was nicknamed the "Jesus Boat" although no evidence has been produced linking it to Christ.

The name Dalmanutha, which the archaeologists believe was a fishing town, has not been linked to any other known archaeological site.

Ken Dark, of the University of Reading, said: "Weights and stone anchors, along with the access to beaches suitable for landing boats - and, of course, the first-century boat - all imply an involvement with fishing."

The architectural remains and pottery suggest that Jews and a polytheistic religion lived together in the town, according to Live Science website.

The town of Dalmanutha is only mentioned once in the Bible, during verses 8:8-8:10 of the Book of Mark.

The passage reads: "So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left in seven baskets.

"And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

"And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha."

The town is only 500ft (150m) away from the ancient town of Migdal, which has been widely identified as Magdala, the birth place of Mary Magdalene.