Massive gilded "royal" ring from the 14th century

The rare ring was discovered during an archaeological research carried out by researchers from the National Institute of Archaeology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in the citadel of the medieval fortress of Kokalyan Urvich. The ring was lying in a carved tomb from the late 14th century and is directly linked to the ruler.

The discovery was made in grave number 9, which was excavated into the floor of the medieval church by carving into the rock. The male body was placed in a plastered wooden coffin, indicating the deceased's privileged position. The coffin was placed about 110 cm below the level of the floor at the time. According to experts, the heavily gilded silver ring was certainly the property of an aristocrat who lived in the second half of the 14th century.

The rosette on the ring symbolises continuity and ancestral memory. The eagle depicted is a medieval symbol of royal power in the tsarist city of Veliko Tarnovo, which was the centre of the so-called Second Bulgarian Empire. The jewellery probably belonged to a family member or a person close to the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Alexander, who ruled between 1331 and 1371.

So far, an archaeological team led by Dr Filip Petrunov (National Institute of Archaeology with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) and Violina Kiryakova (NIM) has uncovered 12 graves in the citadel. Four were well marked and identified. Two of the graves were robbed as early as the 16th century, judging by the fragments of silver decoration on the top of the mound above them.

Roman Němec

Sources.

Ivan Alexander

Massive gilded silver ring

massive gilded silver ring depicting an eagle

aerial view of the citadel

The ring was lying in tomb 9

at the site of the excavations

Veliko Tarnovo