New for the collection: A Roman Finger Ring
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This ring turned up in a garden in Bradford on Avon and initially was thought to be a piece of relatively recent costume jewellery. However, seeing a similar one on display in Salisbury Museum and from subsequent research, it appears to be of Roman date. Pieces of Roman pottery and a coin have been found in the garden before. The site lies below the Iron Age hillfort of Budbury, where a Roman building is suspected and is not very distant from the large villa at St Laurence School.
The ring was made of bronze for a very small finger and still has its “jewel”, which is actually a piece of moulded glass. It is now displayed in the Roman case in the Museum.