MORAY, SCOTLAND—Newsweek reports that a kite-shaped ring with a piece of garnet in its center was uncovered at the site of Burghead Fort, which is located on the coast of northeastern Scotland, by researchers from the University of Aberdeen. Burghead Fort was a seat of power used by the Picts between the sixth and tenth centuries A.D. “There are very few Pictish rings which have ever been discovered and those that we do know about usually come from hoards which were placed in the ground deliberately for safekeeping in some way,” said archaeologist Gordon Noble of the University of Aberdeen. “We certainly weren’t expecting to find something like this lying around the floor of what was once a house,” he added. Some evidence of metalworking has been uncovered at the fort, so the ring may have been made on site. The researchers plan to look for clues as to who may have worn the ring. For more on excavations at Burghead, go to "Letter from Scotland: Land of the Picts."
