BREAKING
A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa鈥檚 south end on Thursday.
A 鈥渞emarkable鈥 Pictish ring with 鈥渁n intricate setting鈥 was discovered in Scotland by an amateur archeologist after being buried for more than 1,000 years.
The 鈥渒ite-shaped ring with a garnet or red glass center鈥 was unearthed by a volunteer at the site of a fort in Burghead, in northeast Scotland, according to the University of Aberdeen, which led the dig.
John Ralph, a former engineer and graduate of the university, signed up as a volunteer for the Burghead digs after retiring.
Ralph, whom the university said describes himself as an 鈥渆nthusiastic amateur,鈥 had many moments over the two-week excavation when experts told him 鈥渉e had a knack for finding 鈥榮hiny pebbles.鈥欌 It was his third dig at the site.
鈥淪o when, on the last day of the final dig, he found something that looked interesting, he didn鈥檛 hold out much hope. It was only when he showed it to a fellow volunteer and his eyes lit up that he realized he might 鈥榟ave something,鈥欌 the university said in a statement Wednesday.
The professor of archeology who led the excavation, Gordon Noble, said what Ralph presented to him was 鈥渢ruly remarkable.鈥
鈥淛ohn was digging and then came over and said 鈥榣ook what I鈥檝e found,鈥欌 Noble said, according to the statement. 鈥淓ven before the conservation work we could see it was something really exciting as despite more than a thousand years in the ground we could see glints of the possible garnet setting.鈥
The Picts were an ancient people who lived in what is now eastern and northeastern Scotland. Little is known about them, and 鈥渙nly limited and contentious documentary sources survive to evidence their six centuries of life,鈥 according to the University of Aberdeen鈥檚 website. All traces of the Picts disappeared from the written records in the 9th century CE, it said.
Noble explained that there are 鈥渧ery few Pictish rings which have ever been discovered and those we do know about usually come from hoards which were placed in the ground deliberately for safekeeping in some way.鈥
鈥淲e certainly weren鈥檛 expecting to find something like this lying around the floor of what was once a house but that had appeared of low significance so, in typical fashion, we had left work on it until the final day of the dig,鈥 Noble said.
The ring is undergoing analysis at the National Museum of Scotland鈥檚 Post-excavation Service, the university said.
The ring has a garnet or red glass center. (University of Aberdeen via CNN Newsource)Ralph, who grew up in Burghead, said he was thrilled to have helped understand the region鈥檚 Pictish past. 鈥淚t is a real thrill to dig up an artefact in the knowledge that you are probably the first person to see it for 1,000-1,500 years,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t becomes a real guessing game of who owned it, what did they use it for and how was it lost.鈥
Susan O鈥機onnor, Head of Grants at Historic Environment Scotland, said Ralph 鈥減layed such a pivotal role in bringing it to light - literally!鈥
While the materials used to make the ring 鈥渁re not particularly valuable in today鈥檚 monetary sense, this find is hugely significant for what it tells us about Pictish lives and society,鈥 O鈥機onnor said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to find out more once our colleagues in the National Museum have finished their investigations.鈥
A Montreal man is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a woman at a park in Ottawa鈥檚 south end on Thursday.
Ontario will not allow international students in medical schools beginning in the fall of 2026, and will also cover tuition for more than 1,000 students who commit to becoming a family doctor in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said Friday.
Archeologists have uncovered a tiny house in Pompeii that is filled with elaborate 鈥 and sometimes erotic 鈥 frescoes, further revealing the ornate way in which Romans decorated their homes.
Understanding the common symptoms of a cold or flu can help you make an informed choice about treatment. Here鈥檚 what to know about each illnesses鈥 symptoms and when it鈥檚 time for a doctor visit.
A Florida mother has sued artificial intelligence chatbot startup Character.AI, accusing it of causing her 14-year-old son's suicide in February and saying he became addicted to the company's service and deeply attached to a chatbot it created.
An Ontario police force has been accused of letting a deputy chief off the hook for speeding tickets. The results of an investigation into the allegations have not been provided, despite repeated requests for details.
The federal government allowed 30-year mortgage amortizations for first-time homebuyers purchasing new builds in August, and the new rules are set to expand in December to everyone looking to buy a newly-constructed home.
A Quebec mother of six, once detained in northeast Syria, has died while waiting for repatriation. The Canadian woman was known only by her initials F.J.
Researchers have connected the identity of skeletal remains found in a well at Norway鈥檚 Sverresborg castle to a passage in a centuries-old Norse text.
A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.
Hundreds of people ran to the music of German composer and pianist Beethoven Wednesday night in a unique race in Halifax.
He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.
A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.