“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”
A Roman ring from as far back as 200 A.D. was found in a Lincolnshire ditch.
Archaeologists say that the oddly shaped, eight-sided ring is certainly uncommon, but not without precedent.
These styles of rings were made either with precious metals or, like this find, a copper alloy.
There aren’t many fun reasons one would be rooting around in a former drainage ditch in Lincolnshire, but an archaeologist was doing just that when they found an eight-sided Roman ring—a much better discovery than whatever else they could’ve found in there.
“This specific type of ring, with its distinctive eight sides, is an uncommon find in the U.K., but not entirely without precedent,” Wessex Archaeology said in a statement. “They were sometimes made of precious metals, though more frequently, as in this case, copper alloy.”
The team dates the ring to between 200 and 410 A.D., a time when the Romans were well established in Britain. Described as “chunky” by the archaeologists—plenty of online commenters likened the style to a construction nut—they posit that the ring could have simply fallen off of the hand of the original wearer.
“It has a sturdy, solid appearance and a light brown patina with patches of green,” the archaeologists wrote. “Similar examples have been recorded by the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Britain.”
The roughly 1,600-year-old ring, also described as “wonderfully tactile,” has little additional history to go with it, and no obvious inscription. “Thank goodness for our careless ancestors,” the team wrote. “Their mishaps are our good fortune.”
The historical significance of Roman finds continues to pile up throughout Europe. Archaeologists recently located a Roman-era tomb outside of Naples, Italy, that likely housed a gladiator. Located near an ancient forum and amphitheater that once hosted Roman gladiators, the extensive necropolis was full of gladiator history.
In Austria, crews found new clues about the Desolate Castle that indicate the mysterious site on the Danube River shore was once part of a crucial Roman trade route.
On Sicily’s north coast last year, archaeologists discovered an ancient Roman bath house with elaborate décor. The remains of the bath complex were discovered still full of decorative mosaic floors, a courtyard with porticoed wings, and the remains of one of the largest thermal bath complexes ever to exist on the island.
Geographically closer to the Lincolnshire ring, archaeologists last year uncovered two previously unknown Roman villas at the Attingham Park estate in Shropshire—an 18th century mansion (now open to the public with 200 acres of parkland) that features the buried ruins of the Roman city of Wroxeter. A roadside cemetery, farmstead, and a web of roads that all tell the robust story of the 2,471 acre plot, which is under the care of England’s National Trust.
For as large as we know the empire to be now, we’re constantly making new discoveries that are even further expanding Rome’s epic history.
You Might Also Like
The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Painter’s Tape
The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere
Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
