A 1,500-year-old gold ring was recently uncovered in Denmark by a metal detector enthusiast, Lars Nielsen. The ring is believed to have historical significance due to its ties with the Frankish royal family Merovingian.
Nielsen found the ring in the small town of Emmerlev, located in the Southern Jutland region. After making the discovery, he brought it to the National Museum of Denmark, where it was closely inspected by a team of researchers.
The researchers state that the ring, dated to the fifth or sixth century, might have been owned by an unknown royalty family from the area that had ties with the Merovingian dynasty in some way. Merovingians ruled the area that is present-day Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany.
They based their conclusion on the exquisite craftsmanship put into the ring, including four spirals on the underside, symbols often associated with Frankish jewelry pieces from the era, as well as other items previously discovered in the same area.
“The gold ring is probably a woman’s ring and may have belonged to a prince’s daughter who was married to a prince in Emmerlev. Gold is typically [a] diplomatic gift, and we know that people have married into alliances,” said the National Museum of Denmark in a press release.