Stunning gold ring from the Roman era found on the ancient French road

Well, it’s not five gold rings, but with only two days until Christmas, we have to settle. An excavation of a Bronze Age settlement in northwestern France has revealed a remarkable gold ring, swords and a handful of other intriguing objects from the time.

INRAP, France’s National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research, led the excavation, which took place in Brittany. The site contains Bronze Age artefacts, but shows evidence of consistent settlement through the 10th century. The excavation recovered pots, shards of terracotta, swords, coins, and a distinctive gold ring.

Additionally, recent work suggests the site was part of an ancient trade route that handled goods from across the continent. During the excavation, INRAP archaeologists found a strip of quartz pebbles about 26 feet wide (8 meters wide) that they determined was an ancient road. The sides of the road were delimited by ditches, and archaeologists identified traces of breaks in the quartz made by wheeled vehicles. According to a press release from INRAP, the road probably dates back to the beginning of the second century and was used until the fourth century.

The gold ring (shown above) was found on that road, and dates to about the same period. The ring is a no Romanidentifiable by the figure cut in the stone. According to the INRAP release, the figure on the ring may be Venus Victrix, which manifests victory for the wearer.

Later, the INRAP team found evidence that a settlement existed on the site between the 5th and 10th centuries, and peaked between the 7th and 8th centuries. The ten Carolingian denarii (pictured at the top of the article) date to the 9th or 10th century.

Although there are no structures at the site, researchers have identified quadrangular plots at the site separated from each other by ditches. Although some places seemed to contain buildings, others were used for other purposes, including crops and used for pastures.

The team also found underground storage silos usually used to store grain, wells for storing water, and other ditches that appear to have been used as pits or ovens. Some of the ancient terracotta elements that were used to store goods or for cooking also showed signs of reuse in the medieval period, indicating that the later inhabitants of the settlement were aware of their earlier occupation.

The INRAP excavation is just the latest of some compelling archeology outside of France this year. In April, a different team studied victims of ritualized human sacrifice in the Rhône valley and found that the practice was widespread throughout Europe during the Neolithic. To read more about this year’s archaeological discoveries, check out our 2024 summary.