An amateur historian just unearthed a treasure that would turn any archaeologist green with envy: an ornate gold ring dating back to ancient Roman times. Posted on 08/08/2018 9:15:32 AM PDT by Simon Green
An amateur historian just unearthed a treasure that would turn any archaeologist green with envy: an ornate gold ring dating back to ancient Roman times.
On the face of the ring — which is thought to be 24-karat gold — ancient artisans placed a black onyx with an engraving of the Roman god of victory driving two horses, the BBC reported.
Jason Massey, a member of the Detecting for Veterans group, discovered the detailed ring on July 29 while surveying a field near the town of Crewkerne, England. [Photos: Mosaic Glass Dishes and Bronze Jugs from Roman England]
The 1.7-ounce (48 grams) ring has yet to be formally analyzed, but experts at the British Museum said the ring likely dates to sometime between A.D. 200 and A.D. 300, the BBC reported.
At first, Massey thought the ring was a gold coin, because he found it in the middle of a stash of 60 ancient Roman coins that were buried in the field, he told the BBC. This site has proved fruitful for Massey; in November, he and his friends found a lead-lined coffin and more than 250 coins that also dated to the time of the Roman Empire, the BBC reported.
These lavish finds indicate that a "very high-status Roman villa" once sat at this site, Massey said.
"There's [a] load of figures floating about [for the value of the ring], but we're interested in the villa, who's lived there and where they've come from and who the person was that wore this ring," Massey said.
According to Ciorstaidh Hayward-Trevarthen, a finds liaison officer in Somerset and Dorset, England, "There are a couple of gold rings of that sort of date from Somerset, but they're not common," she told the BBC.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Ping
I’ve learned from the experience of others. If I were ever to find something like this cache of coins and stuff, I’d melt it down and throw in a silver coin to mess up the gold content and then sell the gold. The government will usually just confiscate finds like this.
Very Pretty, although I could feel better if the royals don’t steal it from the Guy.
DING DING DING, We have a winner.
Im with You but I’d have keep THAT RING!!!
My Precious!
Beautiful piece
2000 year old gold still looking brand new. And yet some people still refuse to believe gold is money.
Did a visiting Emperor steal that from the owner of the gladiator squad?
So, that’s where I lost my ring.
” ... The government will usually just confiscate finds like this ...”
A buddy of mine found a brass cannon from one of the ships that Commodore Perry burned to keep out of the hands of the Brits during the War of 1812.
He spend half a summer getting it out of the mud in Burnt Ship Creek, taking it home to his garage and cleaning 2 hundred years of caked on grime and organic stuff from it.
He just finished and was so proud of his find when the State of New York showed up and seized it without compensation.
England has a policy of paying for the find. This is to prevent the melting down of ancient gold and silver and allows the discoverer to be easily compensated.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Act_1996
First thing I saw , ouch, Nail Biter
I think Britain has fairly good finders law.
Something like this the item is appraised museums get first crack at buying it.
If they don’t want it, it is sold on the open market finder gets the money.
A lot better than we well take that screw you US law.
I think that I'd change my name to something shorter....
I think most people would want to preserve the historical value, even at risk of a few hundred or a few thousand dollars of personal gain.
People who hunt for these things probably value history.
Alan Bourdillion Trehearne ...
NO. Stupid to melt it down OR turn it in, since Britain only pays the “market rate” for finds. Ridiculous. Best to take your time and find a dealer who sells such items to collectors in the black market. Could easily get $25,000 for an item like this, whereas “market value” even if 24k gold would be less than $2k.
People who hunt for these things probably value history.
It would be worth more in historical value, but I’d not be the one being compensated, so it gets melted. Laws have consequences. ;)
But you would have to start some relationships with “interesting” people.
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