John Ralph, a retired engineer and alumnus of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, joined the ongoing archaeological dig as a volunteer. And on the last day, the senior found an “extraordinary” piece of jewelery in the “shape of a kite” buried in the remains of a house that was once part of Burghead Fort. The area is now part of the town of Burghead, which was built in the 19th century. – and unfortunately destroyed and covered most of the archaeological remains of the fort, according to a statement from the University of Aberdeen.
The Picts were the early inhabitants of Scotland, famous for their body tattoos and active opposition to Roman rule. They were first described by Roman historians (the Latin word for “paint” is “picti”), and their culture, composed of tribes organized into loose confederations, lasted from about the 4th to the 9th century. Except for some mysterious symbols carved on stones, the Picts left no monuments of a written language, so whatever archaeologists find can shed light on this rather enigmatic society.
Archaeologists noticed that the center of the newly found metal ring contained a piece of garnet or red glass.
“There are very few evil rings that have been found, and the ones we know about are mostly from hoards that were deliberately buried in the ground for safekeeping,” says Gordon Noble, professor of archeology at the University of Aberdeen. “We really didn’t expect to find something like this lying on the floor of what was once a house.”
Mr Noble added that the team also found “other evidence of metalworking”, as well as several buildings. “This yet another example of high-status metalwork production adds to the growing evidence that Burghead was a truly important seat of power during the Pictish period,” says the researcher.
The ring is now being analyzed by the National Museum of Scotland.
“We will now examine the ring, building remains and other artefacts to determine if the ring was made at this site and what such an important piece of jewelery might have been intended for,” says Mr Noble.
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2024-09-11 10:33:27