Jerusalem A trove of rare, 1,000-year-old coins bearing the likeness of Jesus has been discovered in an area of the Holy Land that was predominantly Muslim at the time. The 58 "Jesus coins" -- the largest such collection uncovered to date -- were among thousands of bronze items discovered last October at an archaeological site near the Sea of Galilee, according to Hebrew University professor Yizhar Hirschfeld.

"It's a treasure, there's nothing like it in the whole world," said Gila Hurvitz, the curator and designer of the exhibit now on display at the university's archaeological school. "He hit the jackpot."

Some of the uneven, blue-green coins show Jesus standing with a cross behind him, others have him sitting on a throne; another is a depiction of Jesus' face. The Greek inscriptions read "Jesus the Messiah, the King of Kings," or "Jesus, the Messiah, the Victor."

Researchers believe the coins were used as currency during the Fatimid period by Christians seeking to evangelize Muslims.

An additional 24 coins from the Byzantine period depict Emperor Constantine X and Michael VII. Together, the 82 coins are the only items among the thousands that are inscribed in Greek; others bear blessings written in the ancient square-like Kufic Arabic script.

Three large jugs were discovered in Tiberias, filled to the hilt with treasures -- coins, broken pottery, oil lamps, candelabra, tweezers, half a pair of scissors and a single blue glass vase -- dating to between the 10th and 11th centuries, when the Fatimid empire ruled Palestine.

They were hidden underground until October 1998, when Hirschfeld directed a "rescue" excavation -- a dig required by law before major construction takes place. He never dreamed that he would unearth the largest cache of Islamic period objects ever found in Israel.