Called an ‘exceptional’ find by Robert Kool, head of the agency’s numismatics department, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on Wednesday announced the discovery of the remains of two shipwrecks off the Mediterranean Coast, The Jerusalem Post reported. It was identified as a Roman gold ring, with the first Christian symbol of Jesus engraved on its gem. The IAA’s Maritime Archeology Unit is conducting a routine survey off the entire coast of Israel and in the area just outside Caesarea harbor.
A treasure born from a storm?
“We discovered a broken metal anchor and decided to see if there were any other anchors in the area. “We soon started finding more artifacts,” said archaeologist Jacob Sharvit.
The ring is one of a trove of third-century Roman artifacts, including hundreds of Roman and medieval silver coins, along with a bronze statue of an eagle, bells to ward off evil spirits, ceramics and a Roman mime (pantomime) figurine in a comic mask, according to a statement by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The collection of bells is among other interesting artifacts recovered from the site. (Dafna Gazit, Israel Antiquities Authority)
According to investigators of the Ancient Authority’s Maritime Archeology Unit, “The findings tell the story of two ships that encountered distress during their journey, at different times, possibly when they trying to sail or seek shelter from the storm,” they wrote in an article. Facebook post . They date respectively to the Roman and imperial periods, i.e. 1700 (3rd century AD) and 600 years ago (14th century AD).
In Israeli history, the royal period is associated with the rule of the Mamluks, a dynasty of slave soldiers, a military caste and state that ruled Northeast Africa and Western Arabia between 13th to 16th century.
Scattered ship debris suggested to researchers that at least one ship had sunk in a very strong storm. This was explained in the statement: “Many metal parts of the wooden ship’s hull were discovered, including dozens of large copper plates, lead pipes of water pumps and a large broken iron anchor – a testament to strength.” of the forces that acted upon it until it broke, apparently during the storm.”
‘The Good Shepherd’
“We know that similar images were found in the Christian catacombs of Rome,” said Helena Sokolov, curator of the IAA Coin Department, referring to the gold ring, which caused controversy. caused great curiosity among the investigation team.
The ring attracts the most attention because of its connection to Jesus – Jesus is the “good shepherd” in the Bible. Thick and octagonal, the blue stone in the ring is engraved with the image of a young shepherd wearing a tunic and carrying a sheep on his shoulders. This image is a very early reference to Jesus, used several times in the Gospels. “I am the good shepherd,” reads a verse in St. John. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
The ring features the Christian symbol ‘The Good Shepherd’. (Dafna Gazit, Israel Antiquities Authority)
“This image of the ‘Good Shepherd’ is known in ancient Christian art as a symbol of salvation; it is a parable of Jesus as the merciful shepherd of humanity, or as one who demonstrated the defense of humanity or the witness of his believers,” the Facebook post said.
Rome’s relationship with Christianity
This is tied to the spread of Christianity in the region, “This was a period when Christianity was just beginning but was certainly growing and developing, especially in mixed cities like Caesarea ,” Sokolov told AFP. The ring is very small, suggesting it may belong to a woman, CBS News reported.
In fact, because Rome was a pagan empire, Christians were persecuted from the 1st century onwards, and this would last for another two and a half centuries, until the of Constantine the Great in the 4th century AD.
Bronze coins from the Roman period were recovered from the shipwreck. (Dafna Gazit / Israel Antiquities Authority)
Roman historian Tacitus noted that Emperor Nero attempted to blame the Great Fire of Rome on Christians, leading to the first official sanctions for Christian persecution recorded in 64 AD. During Nero’s reign, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, two Apostles of Christ, were also martyred – an event still remembered by the Catholic Church to this day.
During the reign of Diocletian, things got even worse – the Great Persecution of the early 4th century saw widespread violence, and attacks on homes, books, places of worship , along with arrests, public torture, mutilations, parades, and gladiatorial contests associated with Christianity. Sokolov added that Christianity was being practiced in underground forums, while the empire began to gradually become more tolerant of emerging forms of Christian worship around Jesus.
