A “TRULY remarkable” Pictish ring which had been buried for more than 1000 years has been uncovered by a volunteer archaeologist at a dig in Scotland.
John Ralph was taking part in a dig at an ancient fort on the coast of Moray, which had been organised by the University of Aberdeen, when he made the discovery.
The kite-shaped ring with a garnet or red glass centre had been undiscovered underground for more than a thousand years at the Burghead fort, the university said.
The ring is currently with the National Museum of Scotland’s post-excavation service for analysis.
Ralph, who grew up in the area, said he was delighted to have added his own piece to the puzzle in understanding the region’s Pictish past.
“It is a real thrill to dig up an artefact in the knowledge that you are probably the first person to see it for 1000-1500 years,” he said.
“It becomes a real guessing game of who owned it, what did they use it for, and how was it lost.”
Professor of archaeology Gordon Noble has led the excavation work, funded by Historical Environment Scotland, over three years.
He said Ralph’s discovery was “truly remarkable”.
“John was digging and then came over and said ‘look what I’ve found’. What he handed over was incredible,” Noble went on.
“Even before the conservation work we could see it was something really exciting as despite more than a thousand years in the ground we could see glints of the possible garnet setting.
“There are very few Pictish rings which have ever been discovered and those we do know about usually come from hoards which were placed in the ground deliberately for safekeeping in some way.
“We certainly weren’t expecting to find something like this lying around the floor of what was once a house but that had appeared of low significance so, in typical fashion, we had left work on it until the final day of the dig.”
Noble’s work has also enabled the development of 3-D reconstructions of how the Burghead fort might once have looked.
The professor said that work would now turn to look at “the ring, evidence of buildings, and other artefacts to consider whether the ring was crafted on the site and who such an important piece of jewellery might have been made for”.
He went on: “We have some other evidence of metalworking and the number of buildings we have uncovered is quite striking.
“This further indicator of the high-status production of metalwork adds to the growing evidence that Burghead was a really significant seat of power in the Pictish period.”
Susan O’Connor, the head of grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “Given Scotland’s remarkably rich history, it shouldn’t be surprising that we are still uncovering important pieces of Scotland’s past, even where we least expect it.
“We are proud to have funded and supported the excavation work conducted by the University of Aberdeen, and are delighted that volunteer John Ralph played such a pivotal role in bringing it to light – literally!
“Whilst the materials used themselves are not particularly valuable in today’s monetary sense, this find is hugely significant for what it tells us about Pictish lives and society. We’re excited to find out more once our colleagues in the National Museum have finished their investigations.”
An open day will be held at the Burghead fort on Sunday September 8 from 10am to 4pm. Members of the public will be able to talk to archaeologists, view Pictish stone carvings, a weapons display and see traditional leather working skills.
