A 1000-year-old Pictish ring was discovered by an amateur archaeologist on the last day of the dig.&nbsp;

University of Aberdeen's former engineer and graduate and volunteer John Ralph found the kite-shaped ring - which has a garnet or red glass centre - at Burghead Fort.&nbsp;

The area is famous as a former Pictish site but its historical value was lost after the construction of the town of Burghead in the 1800s which covered a major part of the fort.

Ralph, who calls himself an “enthusiastic amateur”, said that after finding the ring he failed to realise how valuable it was.

Speaking about the rare discovery, Ralph said, “My sister still lives in Burghead and it sounded interesting so I thought why not? I have now joined three different digs there, each for two weeks."

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“I thoroughly enjoyed them all but my initial enthusiasm for finds was somewhat dented by my knack of getting excited about shiny pebbles," he added.

“I had found a few interesting items including bone pins and it was great being part of the team, which was the real draw. So, when I picked up a bit of earth from the final trench on the last day of excavations, I thought, ‘here we go again’. It was only when I showed it to the volunteer next to me and he got excited that I thought it might really be something," Ralph further stated.&nbsp;

<h2>National Museum of Scotland set to analyse Pictish ring</h2>

Gordon Noble, professor of archaeology at the University of Aberdeen, who headed the excavation work which was funded by Historical Environment Scotland, called the discovery "truly remarkable".

“John was digging and then came over and said, ‘look what I’ve found’. What he handed over was incredible," the professor said.

“Even before the conservation work, we could see it was something really exciting as despite more than a thousand years in the ground we could see glints of the possible garnet setting," he added.

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“There are very few Pictish rings which have ever been discovered and those we do know about usually come from hoards which were placed in the ground deliberately for safekeeping in some way," the professor stated.&nbsp;

The National Museum of Scotland has received the ring and will be now analysing the discovery.

“We will now look at the ring, evidence of buildings and other artefacts to consider whether the ring was crafted on the site and who such an important piece of jewellery might have been made for," Professor Noble stated.

(With inputs from agencies)

A 1000-year-old Pictish ring was discovered by an amateur archaeologist on the last day of the dig. University of Aberdeen's former engineer and graduate and volunteer John Ralph found the kite-shaped ring - which has a garnet or red glass centre - at Burghead Fort.

A 1000-year-old Pictish ring was discovered by an amateur archaeologist on the last day of the dig. University of Aberdeen's former engineer and graduate and volunteer John Ralph found the kite-shaped ring - which has a garnet or red glass centre - at Burghead Fort. The area is famous as a former Pictish site but its historical value was lost after the construction of the town of Burghead in the 1800s which covered a major part of the fort. Ralph, who calls himself an “enthusiastic amateur”, said that after finding the ring he failed to realise how valuable it was. Speaking about the rare discovery, Ralph said, “My sister still lives in Burghead and it sounded interesting so I thought why not? I have now joined three different digs there, each for two weeks." Also Read: Stone Age man applied geology, physics, geometry to build Spanish burial mound “I thoroughly enjoyed them all but my initial enthusiasm for finds was somewhat dented by my knack of getting excited about shiny pebbles," he added. “I had found a few interesting items including bone pins and it was great being part of the team, which was the real draw. So, when I picked up a bit of earth from the final trench on the last day of excavations, I thought, ‘here we go again’. It was only when I showed it to the volunteer next to me and he got excited that I thought it might really be something," Ralph further stated. National Museum of Scotland set to analyse Pictish ring Gordon Noble, professor of archaeology at the University of Aberdeen, who headed the excavation work which was funded by Historical Environment Scotland, called the discovery "truly remarkable". “John was digging and then came over and said, ‘look what I’ve found’. What he handed over was incredible," the professor said. “Even before the conservation work, we could see it was something really exciting as despite more than a thousand years in the ground we could see glints of the possible garnet setting," he added. Also Read: Mystery of gigantic stones used in Herod's Temple in Jerusalem solved “There are very few Pictish rings which have ever been discovered and those we do know about usually come from hoards which were placed in the ground deliberately for safekeeping in some way," the professor stated. The National Museum of Scotland has received the ring and will be now analysing the discovery. “We will now look at the ring, evidence of buildings and other artefacts to consider whether the ring was crafted on the site and who such an important piece of jewellery might have been made for," Professor Noble stated. (With inputs from agencies)

Rare kite-shaped Pictish ring found buried at Burghead Fort after 1000 years

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Rare kite-shaped Pictish ring found buried at Burghead Fort after 1000 years