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800-year-old ring is full of mystery
icCoventry ^
| Jul 15 2005
| Duncan Gibbons
Posted on 07/16/2005 12:19:04 AM PDT by nickcarraway
AN 800-YEAR-OLD mystical ring unearthed in Warwickshire goes on public display for the first time tomorrow.
The precious gold and garnet band features a mysterious cryptic message, written in olde worlde French which has archaeology experts baffled.
It appears to say the words "Je suis une fleur" (I am a flower) and "amour" (love) but some of letters of the inscription are reversed and turned upside down.
Boffins from the British Museum believe it could be a coded token of affection between two lovers, or even a medieval spell.
People will be able to see and decide for themselves when the ring goes on indefinite display at the Warwickshire Museum, in Market Place, Warwick, from tomorrow.
Sara Wear, keeper of archaeology at the museum, said it was a great find.
She said: "We are incredibly lucky to have this rare find on display, especially as it coincides with the launch of the sixth Harry Potter book. One day we may be able to unlock its magical secrets."
She said the ring was in excellent condition as gold does not tarnish, although there is a slight kink along one of the edges.
The ring was found by an amateur treasure-hunter using a metal detector in a farmer's field in Wixford, near Alcester, back in 2002.
It was bought for the museum for a secret four-figure sum with the help of a grant from the National Art Collections Fund.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: archaeology; ggg; godsgravesglyphs; history
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To: SunkenCiv; blam; Fiddlstix; FairOpinion
2
posted on
07/16/2005 12:19:58 AM PDT
by
nickcarraway
(I'm Only Alive, Because a Judge Hasn't Ruled I Should Die...)
To: nickcarraway
Boffins from the British Museum believe it could be a coded token of affection between two lovers, or even a medieval spell. One ring to rule them all...
3
posted on
07/16/2005 12:21:37 AM PDT
by
uglybiker
(A woman's most powerful weapon is a guy's imagination.)
To: nickcarraway; Lijahsbubbe; aculeus
Boffins from the British Museum believe it could be a coded token of affection between two lovers, or even a medieval spell. "In canis corpore transmuto"
To: nickcarraway
Holy crow! My wife, Karen, and I have been wearing our wedding rings for 36 years.
What are we to do now with this breaking news?
5
posted on
07/16/2005 12:29:02 AM PDT
by
Cobra64
To: nickcarraway
Ash nazg durbatulúk
Ash nazg gimbatul
Ash nazg thrakatulûk
Agh burzum-ishi krimpatul
6
posted on
07/16/2005 12:31:36 AM PDT
by
Redcloak
(We'll raise up our glasses against evil forces singin' "whiskey for my men and beer for my horses!")
To: Redcloak
May the Swartz be with you.........
7
posted on
07/16/2005 12:34:08 AM PDT
by
fivekid
( STOP THE WORLD!!!!! I wanna get off.........)
To: nickcarraway; blam; FairOpinion; Ernest_at_the_Beach; StayAt HomeMother; 24Karet; 3AngelaD; asp1; ..
Thanks nick. This just missed Digest #51, so will ping the list.
To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks. Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on, off, or alter the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list --
Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
The GGG Digest -- Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
8
posted on
07/16/2005 12:47:58 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(last updated by FR profile on Tuesday, May 10, 2005.)
To: SunkenCiv
Whoops, make that Digest #52, not #51. :'o
9
posted on
07/16/2005 12:49:05 AM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(last updated by FR profile on Tuesday, May 10, 2005.)
To: uglybiker
Oh, alright, I'll try it on.
10
posted on
07/16/2005 12:52:53 AM PDT
by
carumba
To: nickcarraway
I don't get the big deal. So what if some of the lettering was reversed?
And how do they know how old it is? You can't carbon-date gold.
11
posted on
07/16/2005 12:53:30 AM PDT
by
T Minus Four
(Reparations: people who were never slaves extorting money from people who never owned slaves)
To: T Minus Four
They can carbon date the organic material surrounding the artifact.
That said, I think this is a ploy to generate interest in the find, and therefore the dig. Implication of mysticism is bound to get a lot of attention from the "new age" wannabes.
12
posted on
07/16/2005 1:17:37 AM PDT
by
coconutt2000
(NO MORE PEACE FOR OIL!!! DOWN WITH TYRANTS, TERRORISTS, AND TIMIDCRATS!!!! (3-T's For World Peace))
To: nickcarraway
My precious-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s.
To: coconutt2000
Do you mean like leaves and soil? If I drop my ring into crap that's been there for 1000 years and they find my ring 100 years later, what does that prove?
I know I'm being difficult, but really. Unless they recovered it from a grave or archeological dig, I'm skeptical, and even then it seems it would be a range of dates. And I point out the lack of explanation in the article.
14
posted on
07/16/2005 1:28:12 AM PDT
by
T Minus Four
(Reparations: people who were never slaves extorting money from people who never owned slaves)
To: nickcarraway
Nothing special...
I saw it when it was 2408 year old...
15
posted on
07/16/2005 1:29:28 AM PDT
by
sonofatpatcher2
(Texas, Love & a .45-- What more could you want, campers? };^)
To: T Minus Four
Do you mean like leaves and soil? If I drop my ring into crap that's been there for 1000 years and they find my ring 100 years later, what does that prove? Sorry, but if the "crap" has been there for a 1000 years it is not on top of the ground but buried by 1000 years of dust, dirt and other debris, that is why they have to "dig" for artifacts to begin with. Time buries them. If you dropped your ring it might fall into "crap" that has been there for 10 years but even that is doubtful.
16
posted on
07/16/2005 1:41:06 AM PDT
by
calex59
To: calex59
OK (stubbornly continuing to play devil's advocate), how did some dude find it with his metal detector if it were buried 1000 years' deep?
17
posted on
07/16/2005 1:45:05 AM PDT
by
T Minus Four
(Reparations: people who were never slaves extorting money from people who never owned slaves)
To: T Minus Four
Furthermore, the guy found it back in 2002, so the actual precise location and surrounding organic matter must have long since become irrelevant.
Keep in mind that it's almost 3:00 my time and terribly apparent that the large supposedly-decaf expresso I had at 9:00 was most certainly full octane. I'm usually zee-ed out by 1030 or 1100. I'm really bored, so this is more a function of that that any real conviction about dating rings. :-)
18
posted on
07/16/2005 1:55:17 AM PDT
by
T Minus Four
(Reparations: people who were never slaves extorting money from people who never owned slaves)
To: nickcarraway
Here's a picture of it:
19
posted on
07/16/2005 2:21:59 AM PDT
by
T Minus Four
(Reparations: people who were never slaves extorting money from people who never owned slaves)
To: nickcarraway
but some of letters of the inscription are reversed and turned upside down.
An illiterate engraver?
20
posted on
07/16/2005 2:26:48 AM PDT
by
R. Scott
(Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink.)
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