When the ship went down at Caesarea, Israel’s Mediterranean coast, it would have been a stormy day. It being the third century CE, the region was under Roman administration, and the ship’s passenger, a wealthy city woman, was a devout Christian. All that’s left of her today is a gold ring, which Israeli researchers discovered in the ancient port’s waters along with a trove of other treasures, including a trove of third-century Roman coins, a bronze eagle figurine, bells to ward off evil spirits, pottery, and a Roman pantomimus figurine in a comic mask.
A green gemstone with an etching of a young shepherd kid with a sheep across his shoulders was placed in the thick, octagonal piece. It image that early Christian historians are familiar with is one of the first pictures of Jesus and his disciples, referring to the Biblical metaphor of Jesus as “the good shepherd” who “lays down his life for the flock.” However, Helena Sokolov, a curator at the Israel Antiquities Authority’s currency section, stated that finding it on a ring is uncommon. She has been looking into what has been dubbed “the Good Shepherd ring.”
She told AFP, “[The third century CE] was an era when Christianity was barely being started.” “However, especially in mixed communities like Caesarea, it was obviously increasing and flourishing.” Despite the fact that Christianity still practiced “underground” at this time, the Roman Empire was reasonably tolerant of various faiths at this time, according to Sokolov, and Caesarea was a local hub for Christianity. Other faiths survived, and among the other discoveries was a red diamond that would have been placed in a “Gemma” ring carved with the image of a lyre – Apollo’s emblem in Greek mythology, and known as “David’s Harp” in Jewish history.
However, that’s not all the researchers discovered in Caesarea’s waters. The artifacts were discovered during an underwater study of two shipwrecks that sunk in the same harbor a thousand years apart. “The ships were undoubtedly moored nearby and were damaged by a storm,” the IAA’s Marine Archaeology Unit’s Jacob Sharvit and Dror Planer stated in a statement to IFLScience. “They may have been moored offshore after getting into trouble or dreading inclement weather because sailors know how risky it is to moor in shallow, open water outside of a harbour.”
Along with the third-century finds, the survey discovered a cache of around 560 14th-century Mamluk coins – by this time, IAA archaeologist Jacob Sharvit noted, Caesarea was no longer an important cultural hub, and the ruling caliphs had destroyed many of the region’s ports, fearful of European invasions from the sea. The discovery, which was discovered just 4 meters (13 feet) below, is a reminder of the region’s vast and storied history – and how near the ghosts of the past may still be to our current lives. To safeguard the bubbles escaping from an open bottle, you must defy all physical rules and have legendary efficiency.
“Israel’s beaches are rich in places and findings that are vital national and international cultural heritage treasures,” IAA director Eli Eskozido stated. “Because they are so fragile, the Israel Treasures Authority performs underwater surveys to find, monitor, and salvage any antiquities.” “We urge to divers: if you come across an antique item, make a note of its underwater position, leave it in the sea, and immediately report it to us,” he said. “The finding and documenting of items at their original find site is extremely important in terms of archaeology, and occasionally even a modest find can lead to a major discovery.”
