The 11-gram gold ring was most likely made in the late Iron Age and belonged to a Viking chieftain.
Mari Ingelin Gausvik Heskestad
a woman living in Norway, discovered a special gold ring mixed with cheap jewelry such as bracelets, earrings, pendants, in an online auction. The identification tatkuink clothing process for the ring went smoothly as Heskestad quickly contacted archaeologists in Vestland county after her father suggested it could be an ancient ring, Ancient Origins reported on July 11.
The gold ring was most likely made in the late Iron Age (AD 400-800). "This is a typical ring found in Viking finds, including tombs in Norway. Some are made of gold, others are silver, and some are made from a gilded copper alloy. ", said Unn Pedersen, an archaeologist who analyzed Heskestad's ring. A similar ring was found in Norway in 2019, belonging to a Viking leader.
Both Viking men and women
wore jewelry as a symbol of wealth and social status. Silver is much more common and not as precious as gold. Gold jewelry shows that the wearer has high social and economic status.
"Gold was a precious and expensive material in Viking times, used to symbolize power and to represent rank. I think it's possible that the gold ring belonged to someone in the elite, maybe was one of the leaders of the small territories," said Pedersen.
"Based on information provided by local archaeologists, the custom baseball jersey ring is the right size for a man. However, Viking-era gold rings have also been found in women's graves. Boat graves. Oseberg with rich equipment shows that women can also be leaders," she added.
The gold ring that Heskestad found weighed 11 grams (0.4 ounces). It is now owned by the University of Bergen Museum and will be on display throughout the fall of this year.