A thousand-year-old Pictish ring was found in Scotland (8 photos + 1 video)

An unusually shaped ring with a red stone in the centre has been discovered during excavations in Burghead, Scotland. The decoration is at least a thousand years old and was made by the Picts, a Celtic people.





Burghead Fort was subjected to "archaeological vandalism" in the 1800s when much of the fortification was dismantled to make way for new buildings. Among the families who were encouraged to move to the new town and take up the fishing industry were John Ralph's ancestors.

Professor Gordon Noble of the University of Aberdeen organised the dig at the site, and John Ralph, an engineer and Aberdeen graduate, volunteered to do the work.



John Ralph with the find

John, who describes himself as an "enthusiast amateur", found "something interesting but not very hopeful" on the last day of work.

Professor Noble commented: "John was digging and then he came up and said, 'Look what I've found.' He handed us something incredible. It had been buried for over a thousand years, but we could see the garnet."





"There are very few Pictish rings, and the ones we know of were hidden in hoards, hidden for safekeeping."



The ring is currently being studied at the National Museum of Scotland. John is pleased to have contributed to the understanding of the Pictish past of the region.

"It's an incredible feeling to find an artefact and know that you're the first person to see it in 1,000 or 1,500 years. It immediately raises questions about who it belonged to, what it was used for and how it was lost. It's nice to know that I've found a little piece of the puzzle from the past," Ralph said.



Professor Noble added: "We'll now be studying the ring, evidence of buildings and other finds to determine whether it was made here and who it might have been made for. We have other evidence of metalworking and the number of buildings we've found is astonishing. It's further evidence that Burghead was a really important centre of power in the Pictish period."



Over the past three years, excavations funded by Historical Environment Scotland have yielded valuable information and created a 3D reconstruction of what the fort looked like.



The fort lasted 500 years before being destroyed by fire in the 10th century

Susan O'Connor, head of grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: "Given Scotland's rich history, it is unsurprising that we continue to find important pieces of its past where we least expect them. Although the artifact itself has no material value, it is of enormous importance in understanding Pictish life and society."



In 2021, researchers revealed what Burghead was like in its heyday

The Picts were a confederation of Celtic peoples who lived in what is now eastern and northern Scotland during the Late Iron Age and Early Middle Ages, from about 270 to 900 AD.