A ring that dates back over a millennium has just been found along the Scottish coast, and interestingly, it wasn’t a professional archaeologist who made the discovery. Instead, it was John Ralph, a self-proclaimed “enthusiastic volunteer” who uncovered this remarkable piece of ancient jewelry.
At 68 years old, John, a retired engineer, wanted to make the most of his free time. He shared with BBC Scotland, “I had recently retired and came across a call for volunteers to assist with the Burghead excavations. Since my sister still lives in Burghead, I found it intriguing and thought, why not try it? I’ve participated in three different digs there, each lasting two weeks.”
The site currently being excavated is believed to have been significant during the Pictish kingdom, a center of power between 500 and 1000 CE. Initially, Ralph found gleaming objects that got him excited, but soon experts shared that they were just shiny stones.
Despite his initial disappointments, he found joy in discovering items like bone pins, feeling the camaraderie of being part of a team was just as rewarding. “Finding those shiny pebbles became a bit of a running joke for me,” Ralph said.
However, everything changed one day while Ralph was cleaning a floor in a structure. His eyes caught sight of a metal pin, and then – lo and behold – there it was, the ring!
According to Gordon Noble, a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Aberdeen and the excavation lead, Ralph approached him with excitement, saying, “Look what I’ve found!” Noble was amazed by this find, remarking that it was nothing short of extraordinary. He noted that despite being buried for over a millennium, they could still see flashes of what appeared to be a garnet setting on the ring.
This discovery is even more thrilling considering that very few Pictish rings have ever been found, and those that have typically come from hoards, intentionally hidden away for safekeeping.
The Picts, referred to by the Romans as Picti, meaning the “Painted Ones,” were tribal groups that formed the largest kingdom in Dark Age Scotland. The Picts were known as brave warriors, successfully repelling invasions from the Romans and Angles alike. The BBC noted that if the Picts had been defeated in the struggle against the Northumbrian Angles, “Scotland might never have existed.”
Regrettably, despite their warrior strength, by the end of the first millennium, the Picts would “fade away into history,” absorbed largely by another group, the Gaels.
This ring, discovered by a volunteer with a talent for finding shiny objects, not only connects us to a pivotal group in Scottish history but also might unlock deeper insights into a kingdom that vanished from the historical record. Right now, the ring is on display at the National Museum of Scotland, awaiting further analysis.
