INTERNATIONAL: A ring bearing an early Christian depiction of Jesus as a shepherd has been recovered amid treasure from ancient shipwrecks off the Holy Land coast, Israeli archaeologists said on Wednesday.

Inspired by how Jesus described his relationship to his flock of faithful followers in the Book of John, the "Good Shepherd" image is among the most enduring in Christianity.

The gold and green-gemstone ring engraved with a figure of a young boy bearing a ram or sheep on his shoulders was found along with hundreds of silver and bronze coins in the Mediterranean waters off what was once Caesarea port, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.

It said the haul, which also includes Roman-era figurines and a ring carved with an image of a biblical lyre, came from hulls of two ships, dating back six and 17 centuries, which probably foundered during a storm while anchored at the site.

Caesarea, where Acts of the Apostles describes Peter baptising the Roman centurion Cornelius, was one of the earliest centres of Christianity and housed one of the first Christian communities, the Authority said.

^{PHOTO: RING BEARING 'GOLDEN SHEPHERD' DEPICTION ON DISPLAY; FILE FOOTAGE OF UNDERWATER DISCOVERY; FILE DRONE FOOTAGE OF CAESAREA SEASHORE; INTERVIEW WITH EXPERT; MORE ARTEFACTS ON DISPLAY AND BEING CLEANSED}