[MR] BBC: Pictish Ring From Burghead Fort Dig

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble friends, especially Fellow Scots,

Today the BBC is reporting on a rare Pictish ring found during excavations
at Burghead fort in Moray, Scotland.

The ring was found by a volunteer, John Ralph. It has not yet been
described in detail, other than to say it held a garnet in a mount. The
ring was sent to the National Museums of Scotland post-excavation center
for cleaning and analysis. Here is the BBC story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vx2nvk6kgo .

Burghead was the site of a remarkable and very large Pictish fort, likely a
royal stronghold. It was apparently occupied from about 500 to 1000 CE. The
fort has been under excavation since 2015 by teams from the University of
Aberdeen:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-59121017 .

Among the finds was a Pictish "longhouse", which yielded up a coin minted
for Alfred the Great, King of Wessex and later Saxon England in the late
9th century. The coin is pierced, probably used as a pendant, and hints at
trade contacts between the Picts, Saxons, and of course the Vikings:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-40709112 .

Yours Aye,


Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆
Continuing a crusade to keep Merry Rose relevant and in business.