Stunning medieval ring found below rubble at ‘historically important' tourist site
The impressive brass ring was found at Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland.
Advertisement
The castle's website describes it as 'the most historically and culturally important site in Poland.'
'For centuries the residence of kings and the symbol of Polish statehood, the castle is now one of the country's premier art museums,' the website states.
'The collections of the Wawel Royal Castle are presented in several permanent exhibitions that evoke the historic appearance of the royal residence in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.'
The ring was excavated during the renovation of the Bastion of Władysław IV, a king who ruled Poland from 1632 to 1648.
Advertisement
Historians estimate that the piece of jewelry dates back to the 15th or 16th centuries.
A local archaeologist named Konrad Jurkowski found the ring, according to castle officials.
'It was found while sifting through the rubble fill from inside the monument's pedestal,' the post, which was translated from Polish to English, read.
Pictures posted by Wawel Royal Castle show the intricate details of the ring, as well as the rubble-filled chamber that it was found in.
Advertisement
4 The centuries-old ring was discovered at Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow, Poland.
Wawel Royal Castle / Facebook
4 A local archaeologist found the ring 'while sifting through the rubble.'
Wawel Royal Castle / Facebook
In one close-up photo, the mysterious symbols on the ring are clearly visible.
'The signet ring features an oval shield,' the Facebook post noted.
Advertisement
'A symbol is visible on it, possibly a craftsman's mark, located on a German-type heraldic shield. '
The statement added, 'The letters IC (initials?) are also visible. The item has a surface decorated with transverse grooves.'
4 Historians estimate that the piece of jewelry dates back to the 15th or 16th centuries.
Wawel Royal Castle / Facebook
4 Wawel Royal Castle describes itself as 'the most historically and culturally important site in Poland.'
romanslavik.com – stock.adobe.com
Officials say that the ring will be 'studied along with other finds after the completion of archaeological work on the Bastion of Władysław IV.'
The latest discovery is one of several historical finds in the past year.
In January, archaeologists announced the discovery of coins, jewelry and other 1,200-year-old treasure in a set of Viking graves in Norway.
In England, hundreds of 1,000-year-old silver coins were found at a nuclear power plant construction site in January.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Washington bans sale of a common plant, deems it noxious weed
This story was originally published on The sale of a common plant will soon be illegal in Washington. Washington added Common (English) Ivy and Atlantic/Boston Ivy to its list of noxious weeds, which prohibits the sale and distribution of the plants, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture's (WSDA) website. The weed threatens trees by taking away sunlight, Susan Hutton, executive director of the Whatcom Million Trees Project, told The Bellingham Herald. 'English ivy is kind of an equal opportunity creeper,' Hutton said, according to the media outlet. 'It will come to a tree and it will start to climb it, and as it climbs the tree, it starts to compete with the tree's leaves for sunlight, and in the process, it gradually weakens the tree. Once ivy gets up into the crown of a tree, it's almost certain to kill the tree in a short period of time.' Ivy also increases the risk of trees falling in storms, as the vines add extra weight, King County stated on its website. Common and Atlantic Ivy can outgrow native plants on the forest floor, shrub layer, and canopy. 'When ivy takes over, it reduces animal foraging habitat,' King County wrote on its website. 'It makes it difficult for understory plants to grow and kills understory and overstory trees by shading them out.' The sap of ivy stems can also cause skin irritation for some people. Although the plant is quite a nuisance, it stemmed an idea to solve another annoying issue. A few years ago, former KIRO Newsradio host Dave Ross had the idea to use ivy to prevent graffiti. 'I noticed that along I-5 downtown, the areas with no graffiti have one thing in common: ivy. Ivy has spilled over the top of the retaining wall! Vandals want a clear canvas, and the ivy ruins that. So what we need is to cover everything with ivy,' Ross wrote on MyNorthwest. The idea stuck with KIRO Newsradio Traffic Reporter Chris Sullivan, who brought it to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) last year. He found out the City of Tacoma tried installing fake ivy in a handful of spots to combat graffiti. 'We had what we call the panels, which are a one-by-one foot panel of ivy, and then we have individual strands of it as well,' Rae Bailey, a Public Works Division Manager in Tacoma, said. 'We tried both of them in various areas throughout the city to mixed reviews.' Unfortunately, the panels didn't work well, but the individual strands of the fake plant did. 'We've had a couple of the strand areas get tagged in the last year or two, but for the most part, everything that we put up by the strands is doing its job,' Bailey said. Tacoma was planning to continue the fake ivy project, but then the pandemic hit, and it was no longer a top priority. The city was looking to start the project again, but the vendor went out of business, and unfortunately, the material was too expensive to install in large sections. As for the real plant, the ban will go into effect on Aug. 9. Contributing: Chris Sullivan, KIRO Newsradio Follow Julia Dallas on X. Read her stories here. Submit news tips here.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Roman-era mosaic panel with erotic theme that was stolen during World War II returns to Pompeii
A mosaic panel on travertine slabs, depicting an erotic theme from the Roman era, was returned to the archaeological park of Pompeii on Tuesday, after being stolen by a Nazi German captain during World War II. The artwork was repatriated from Germany through diplomatic channels, arranged by the Italian Consulate in Stuttgart, Germany, after having been returned from the heirs of the last owner, a deceased German citizen. The owner had received the mosaic as a gift from a Wehrmacht captain, assigned to the military supply chain in Italy during the war. 5 The artwork was repatriated from Germany through diplomatic channels, arranged by the Italian Consulate. via REUTERS 5 The owner had received the mosaic as a gift from a Wehrmacht captain, assigned to the military supply chain in Italy during the war. AP The mosaic — dating between mid- to last century B.C. and the first century — is considered a work of 'extraordinary cultural interest,' experts said. 'It is the moment when the theme of domestic love becomes an artistic subject,' said Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompeii and co-author of an essay dedicated to the returned work. 'While the Hellenistic period, from the fourth to the first century B.C., exulted the passion of mythological and heroic figures, now we see a new theme.' The heirs of the mosaic's last owner in Germany contacted the Carabinieri unit in Rome that's dedicated to protecting cultural heritage, which was in charge of the investigation, asking for information on how to return the mosaic to the Italian state. Authorities carried out the necessary checks to establish its authenticity and provenance, and then worked to repatriate the mosaic in September 2023. The collaboration with the Archaeological Park of Pompeii was also key, as it made it possible to trace it to near the Mount Vesuvius volcano, despite the scarcity of data on the original context of its discovery, the Carabinieri said. The panel was then assigned to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii where, suitably catalogued, it will be protected and available for educational and research purposes. 'Today's return is like healing an open wound,' Zuchtriegel said, adding that the mosaic allows to reconstruct the story of that period, the first century A.D., before Pompeii was destroyed by the Vesuvius eruption in A.D. 79. 5 The mosaic — dating between mid- to last century B.C. and the first century — is considered a work of 'extraordinary cultural interest,' experts said. via REUTERS 5 The heirs of the mosaic's last owner in Germany contacted the Carabinieri unit in Rome that's dedicated to protecting cultural heritage. AP The park's director also highlighted how the return by the heirs of its owner signals an important change in 'mentality,' as 'the sense of possession (of stolen art) becomes a heavy burden.' 'We see that often in the many letters we receive from people who may have stolen just a stone, to bring home a piece of Pompeii,' Zuchtriegel said. He recalled the so-called 'Pompeii curse,' which according to a popular superstition hits whoever steals artifacts in Pompeii. 5 The panel was assigned to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii where it will be protected and available for educational and research purposes. AP The world-known legend suggests that those who steal finds from the ancient city of Pompeii will experience bad luck or misfortune. That has been fueled over the years by several tourists who return stolen items, claiming they brought them bad luck and caused tragic events.
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
‘Spirited' gorilla known for her ‘silly moments' dies unexpectedly, TN zoo says
A 37-year-old gorilla was found dead during zookeepers' routine check, a Tennessee zoo said. On July 6, a 'great ape' named Kwizera was found unresponsive in her enclosure, according to a Facebook post by the Memphis Zoo. Kwizera died 'unexpectedly' after a short illness, but a full necropsy was performed and zookeepers are awaiting the results, the zoo said. Kwizera came to the zoo from Buffalo, New York, in 2009 and quickly became the first of the zoo's gorilla group in more than 15 years, the zoo said. She was known for her 'clever and spirited personality,' always 'expressing herself' whether that was the noises she'd make when indulging in her 'favorite leafy greens' or 'knocking bedding off her perch to make a point,' zookeepers said. For the zoogoers she 'trusted most,' she'd 'bounce with excitement and pat her arms in greeting,' zookeepers said. Although the 'beloved' girl will be missed for her 'outward personality,' zookeepers said they'll also miss 'the quiet, silly moments she shared only with those she let into her world,' the zoo said. The loss of Kwizera was like that of losing a 'colleague and dear friend,' making her death a shock to her keepers, the zoo said. Users shared their thoughts in the comments on Kwizera with one person saying, 'She was beautiful. Many special memories for us and our children of visiting her and her troop. Thinking of her keepers and caretakers as I know this is a huge loss.' 'Our beautiful sweet girl I loved watching her,' another wrote.
