A Roman ring found by a former soldier turned amateur treasure hunter is set to go on display at a museum in Somerset.
The ring, believed to date from 297AD, is made out of gold and is engraved with a gemstone showing the goddess Victoria on a chariot. The ring is thought to be especially extravagant for the time it was made and is considered a particularly rare find given its perfect condition and the fact Romans were much more likely to fashion rings out of bronze and silver. The ring is also unusually heavy, coming in at 44g.
The ring has been acquired by the South West Heritage Trust for £78,000 alongside a hoard of nearly 300 Roman coins found at a nearby site. Before reaching its final resting place at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton, the ring will tour primary schools in the area and it will be the focus of a special event in Ilminster where people will be able to come and look at it and learn about Roman history.
The man who found the ring, Kevin Minto, is a keen metal detectorist and first found coins on the site almost a decade ago before discovering the nearly two-thousand-year-old piece in 2018.
Though the payment took around eight years due to legal issues, half of the money went to the landowner while Minto split his share with a friend who worked with him on the find.
He has said the discovery has enabled him to pay off his mortgage and cut down his hours at his day job lorry driving.
Amal Khreisheh, senior curator for the South West Heritage Trust, said: “The Ilminster ring is both large and heavy, with elaborate gold work and a beautifully executed intaglio [a technique in which a design is engraved into the surface of a gemstone]. While other examples are known, these elements combine to create a spectacular ring that is only paralleled by continental discoveries.”
She added: “Its discovery sheds light on how South Somerset’s Roman inhabitants navigated a period of unrest from 286–296. It is likely the ring was buried shortly after, in 297, as part of a hoard including coins, lead and pottery objects.”
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