The 'remarkable' 1,000-year-old Pictish ring discovered at 'vandalised' Scottish fort by amateur archaeologist

The shimmer of the ring last seen 1,000 years ago left archaeologists knowing they had found something special.

A “remarkable” Pictish ring has been discovered at a Moray fort which is believed to have been an elite centre of the north.

The beautiful piece of jewellery, which came out the ground almost complete, was last seen more than 1,000 years ago.

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The kite-shaped ring with a garnet or red glass centre reflects the high-status nature of the fort that was home to a bustling settlement between the 6th and 10th centuries.

It was discovered by a volunteer taking part in an excavation at Burghhead, once a mighty highly-defended fort which was thought to have been “archaeologically vandalised” when large parts of the site were destroyed to make way for construction of the new town.

John Ralph, a volunteer archaeologist, with the ring shortly after making the find at Burghead.John Ralph, a volunteer archaeologist, with the ring shortly after making the find at Burghead.
John Ralph, a volunteer archaeologist, with the ring shortly after making the find at Burghead. | Aberdeen University

The ring was found by John Ralph on the excavation led by Aberdeen University where he studied 50 years ago.

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Mr Ralph said: “It is a real thrill to dig up an artefact in the knowledge that you are probably the first person to see it for 1000-1500 years.

“It becomes a real guessing game of who owned it, what did they use it for and how was it lost.”

Pictish leaders are likely to have gathered at Burghead while a significant population lived side-by-side with a fleet of vessels, possibly harboured in the shallow anchorage below.

The ring, pictured side on, shortly after it was  pulled from the ground. It was last seen more than 1,000 years ago at the fort which was destroyed in the 10th Century around the time Vikings were raiding the Moray coast.The ring, pictured side on, shortly after it was  pulled from the ground. It was last seen more than 1,000 years ago at the fort which was destroyed in the 10th Century around the time Vikings were raiding the Moray coast.
The ring, pictured side on, shortly after it was pulled from the ground. It was last seen more than 1,000 years ago at the fort which was destroyed in the 10th Century around the time Vikings were raiding the Moray coast. | Aberdeen University

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Burghead was destroyed by fire around the same time as Viking’s were raiding the Moray coast.

In the 1800s, the site was further wrecked to make way for the new town with stone from the site used in the construction of the modern town and harbour seen today.

Excavations at Burghead have now revealed far more material from the Pictish period than was first believed to have survived.

Mr Ralph’s own ancestors were among those encouraged to relocate to the new town of Burghead to support the fishing industry.

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When he retired as an engineer, he signed up as a volunteer for the Burghead digs after seeing a social media post by Professor Noble.

Mr Ralph, who describes himself as an “enthusiastic amateur”, had many moments over the two-week excavation – his third dig at the site - where he thought he had discovered something, only to for the experts to tell him he had a knack for finding “shiny pebbles”.

Weaponry, hair and dress pins and evidence of metalworking have been found during repeated excavations led by Professor Gordon Noble.

An aerial image of Burghead today.An aerial image of Burghead today.
An aerial image of Burghead today. | Aberdeen University

Professor Noble said when he was handed the ring, it was clear Mr Ralph had found something “truly remarkable”.

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He said: “John was digging and then came over and said, ‘look what I’ve found’. What he handed over was incredible.

“Even before the conservation work we could see it was something really exciting as despite more than a thousand years in the ground we could see glints of the possible garnet setting.

“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.

“We certainly weren’t expecting to find something like this lying around the floor of what was once a house but that had appeared of low significance so, in typical fashion, we had left work on it until the final day of the dig.”

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A reconstruction of the site, which was where elites of Pictish era likely gathered. It was also home to a large-scale settlement with evidence of metalworking found at the site.A reconstruction of the site, which was where elites of Pictish era likely gathered. It was also home to a large-scale settlement with evidence of metalworking found at the site.
A reconstruction of the site, which was where elites of Pictish era likely gathered. It was also home to a large-scale settlement with evidence of metalworking found at the site. | Aberdeen University

Professor Noble has led excavation work, funded by Historical Environment Scotland, over the last three years which has shed new light on the importance of the site and enabled the development of 3-D reconstructions of how it might once have looked.

Professor Noble said research would continue into the ring to determine whether it may have been crafted on site and “who such an important piece of jewellery might have been made for”.

He added: “We have some other evidence of metalworking and the number of buildings we have uncovered is quite striking.

“This further indicator of the high-status production of metalwork adds to the growing evidence that Burghead was a really significant seat of power in the Pictish period.”

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The fort at Burghead reconstructed. Large parts of the site were destroyed when the new town was constructed with stone from around the fort use to construct buildings and the harbour seen today.The fort at Burghead reconstructed. Large parts of the site were destroyed when the new town was constructed with stone from around the fort use to construct buildings and the harbour seen today.
The fort at Burghead reconstructed. Large parts of the site were destroyed when the new town was constructed with stone from around the fort use to construct buildings and the harbour seen today. | Aberdeen University

The fort was also home to the ‘Burghead Bulls’, around 25 carved stones which were discovered during the 19th Century destruction of the site.

Some believe the stones may have lined a processional route into the heart of the complex and other believe they may have been linked to a fertility cult.

Today, only six of the stones survive with the collection split between Edinburgh, London and Elgin.

Susan O’Connor, head of grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said: “Given Scotland’s remarkably rich history, it shouldn’t be surprising that that we are still uncovering important pieces of Scotland’s past, even where we least expect it. We are proud to have funded and supported the excavation work conducted by the University of Aberdeen, and are delighted that volunteer John Ralph played such a pivotal role in bringing it to light - literally.

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“Whilst the materials used themselves are not particularly valuable in today’s monetary sense, this find is hugely significant for what it tells us about Pictish lives and society. We’re excited to find out more once our colleagues in the National Museum have finished their investigations.”

The public will be able to learn more about this find and the ongoing work at Burghead at an Open day to be held at the fort on Sunday, 8 September from 10am to 4pm, when they can talk to archaeologists, view Pictish stone carvings, a weapons display and see traditional leather working skills.

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