A 1500 year old gold ring was discovered with the help of a detector in Emmerlev, a town in southern Denmark. Experts say the rare artifact could be linked to the Merovingians, a royal family in the region.
According to a statement from the National Museum of Denmark, the distinctively decorated ring is made of 22 karat gold and features spiral designs and tiny trefoil knobs on the underside. A semi-precious red gemstone appears to adorn its center.
“I was so excited and amazed that I could hardly say anything,” says Lars Nielsen, who found the ring with his metal detector. “To get such a unique and one of a kind find is completely surreal. I am very proud and honored to be able to contribute a little bit to our shared history, both local and national.”
After finding it, Nielsen took it to experts at the National Museum of Denmark, who concluded that it probably dates from the fifth or sixth century AD.
The gold ring has features consistent with Frankish craftsmanship. Researchers say these details show that the ring’s owners were linked to the Merovingians, a Frankish dynasty that ruled a significant part of Western Europe between the fifth and eighth centuries. They united all the Franks and the northern Gallo-Romans under their rule.
Kirstine Pommergaard, an archaeologist and curator at the National Museum, said: “This is an impressive level of craftsmanship that is difficult to imitate today. The gold ring probably belonged to a woman. It could have belonged to a woman who was married to a prince in Emmerlev, or to the prince’s daughter.”
Gold was often given as a diplomatic gesture between families and they may have used marriage to build strategic alliances, the researchers say. Similar examples of the stone are known to have been status symbols for the region’s elite.
The ring could also belong to a new and unknown princely family in the region with close links to the Merovingians. Other valuable artifacts have previously been found in the area, including pottery, a collection of gold and silver coins, and golden horns dating to the first century, indicating that the region was an important center of power.
Anders Hartvig, an archaeologist at the Sønderjylland Museum, said: “The person who had the ring probably also knew people who had the golden horns. Maybe they were relatives. Together with other recent finds, it suggests that South Jutland had a greater influence than previously thought.”