Israel finds Christian 'Good Shepherd' ring in Roman shipwreck

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said the shipwrecks were found near the Israeli Mediterranean town of Caesarea. It was once the center of Roman activity.

The Roman Empire and Mamluk Sultanate ruled large swaths of the Eastern Mediterranean for several centuries.

Archaeologists say the shipwrecks date to 1,700 and 600 years ago.

The Good Shepherd's Ring

The ancient "Good Shepherd" ring dates back 1,700 years. The ring features a green gem engraved with "The Good Shepherd", representing the shape of a shepherd boy carrying a sheep on his shoulder. The motifs believed to be related to Jesus were passed down in Roman times, before Christian organizations began to appear.

In addition, archaeologists also recovered from the shipwreck hundreds of silver and Roman coins, more than 500 silver coins from the Middle Ages of the Mamluk Sultanate.

In addition to the coins, archaeologists have discovered figurines, bells, ceramics and metal artifacts that once belonged to ships, including nails and a broken iron anchor.

Jacob Sharvit, head of the IAA's Maritime Archeology unit, says the Roman ship may have come from Italy. He said it was not clear if there were any remains of intact wooden ships underneath the sand.