A retired engineer and enthusiastic volunteer, John Ralph, made a remarkable discovery while participating in an archaeological dig at an ancient fort in Burghead, Moray, along the Scottish coast. While excavating the site, Ralph unearthed an extremely rare Pictish ring believed to date back at least a thousand years.
The site where the ring was found is thought to have been a seat of power during the early medieval Pictish kingdom, dating between 500 CE and 1000 CE. Burghead fort is considered one of the most important Pictish sites in Scotland. Ongoing excavations led by the University of Aberdeen have uncovered evidence of elite habitation, ceremonial use, sophisticated craftsmanship, defensive structures, and personal items such as bone pins and tools.
Ralph, who joined the Burghead excavations after retiring, has participated in multiple digs at the site. "I was just clearing the floor of a building and at first I saw a metal pin, and then lo and behold, there was the ring," said Ralph. Initially unsure of its significance, he passed the object to a nearby volunteer, whose excited reaction confirmed that he had found something extraordinary. Reflecting on the moment, he compared it to a sports achievement: "It was like a striker scoring a goal."
Despite his initial enthusiasm for finds sometimes being tempered by his knack for getting excited over "shiny pebbles," Ralph had previously uncovered interesting items such as bone pins. "I had found a few interesting items including bone pins, and it was great being part of the team, which was the real draw," he summarized.
Gordon Noble, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Aberdeen and leader of the excavation, recognized the rarity of the find. "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," he noted. Noble added, "We could see it was something really exciting, as despite more than 1,000 years in the ground we could see glints of the possible garnet setting."
The ring is now undergoing detailed analysis by specialists at the National Museum of Scotland's post-excavation service. The context of the discovery suggests the ring may have been lost in everyday life or during an event that led to the site's abandonment. It offers a unique glimpse into the personal lives of the Picts who once inhabited the area.
The Picts were a group of tribes who lived between 300 CE and 900 CE in what is now known as Scotland, descendants of the native Iron Age people. Known as fierce warriors, they held back invasion attempts by the Romans and later the Angles during the famous Battle of Dun Nechtain. The Romans referred to them as "Picti," meaning "Painted Ones," due to their distinctive body art.
Despite their military prowess, the Picts disappeared from history by the end of the first millennium, eventually being "swallowed whole by the history of another group, the Gaels." The discovery of the ring adds weight to theories that the Burghead site served as a power center in the early medieval period, providing valuable insights into the societal structures and daily lives of the Picts.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.