During a large archaeological dig, a volunteer excavator discovered a rare kite-shaped ring made by the Pictish people in ancient Scotland over 1,000 years ago.
The ring was discovered in Burghead, a small town located in Moray, Scotland, and the location of the Burghead Fort archaeological site. Excavation volunteer John Ralph found the ring as part of research conducted by the University of Aberdeen and Historical Environment Scotland.
Ralph is a retired engineer and a graduate of Aberdeen, maintaining a relationship with the school for half a century. He volunteered to participate in the digs at Burghead after he saw a post on social media from Gordon Noble, professor of archaeology at Aberdeen who has been in charge of the excavation for three years. The project revealed more about the site and its importance and also enabled researchers to develop a 3D model reconstruction of what the fort may have looked like.
Burghead Fort was a promontory fort made by the Pictish people and served as an early power center for the Pictish Kingdom. After about 500 years of use, a fire destroyed the fort some time in the 10th century, a blaze possibly started by Viking invaders. The site stayed abandoned for a few hundred years until a harbor was built in the 19th century and families were encouraged to settle in the new town to help develop the fishing industry.
Ralph’s ancestors were among those families who relocated to Burghead to become fishermen, and he uncovered a relic perhaps not seen for over 1,000, hundreds of years before the town was built on top of the site and destroyed much of the remaining stone. When the current town was built, several carved Pictish stones were discovered, but many artifacts did not survive. Ralph noted how his ancestors may have contributed to the destruction of the fort’s remnants and told reporters that liked the thought of “giving something back” by finding the ring and contributing another “piece of the puzzle of the past.”
The Post-excavation Service for the National Museum of Scotland is now in possession of the ring for analysis. They will hold an open day for the public on Sept. 8 to speak with archaeologists, view artifacts discovered, and learn more about the ongoing work at Burghead.
