Researchers Uncover Ring In Bulgaria That May Have Been Used To Poison People

Jewelry is not an uncommon find at the ruins of Cape Kailakra dig site in Bulgaria. Excavators have uncovered at least thirty pieces at the medieval location, but more recently they came across a piece of dated jewelry that adds a little flavor to the area’s history. Archaeologists on the site uncovered a ring with an inconspicuous cavity that the finders believe may have been used as a murder weapon back in the day. Lucrezia Borgia would have been proud.

The ring in question is more than 600 years old. It was carefully and handily crafted to be hollow on the inside. Bulgaria's National Archaeology Museum employee and dig leader Bonnie Petrunova recently noted in a press release that she believes the ring was a man’s and was meant to be worn on the pinkie finger of the right hand.

It’s hard to tell what the storied history of the ring is, but Petrunova also says the ring might very well be linked to Dobrotitsa, a 14th century aristocrat whose rule was plagued with many strange deaths.

The ring would have provided a nearly unnoticeable way of dumping poison into a person’s glass at a very close proximity. All a person would have to do to release the poison would be to flick his or her finger, making the hollowed- out weapon an easy tool to use. Television fans will recognize this sort of device as the same sort of jewelry Lucrezia Borgia frequently uses during Showtime’s recently cancelled series, The Borgias. When seen on television, the device might seem a little campy and even a bit goofy, but with the recent find at the Bulgarian Dig, there’s no denying the murderous potential of such a clever piece of bling. Interestingly, NBC News is noting that the ring was probably even an import from Spain or Italy, which makes the TV concept even more believable.

Six hundred years ago, the death rate was much higher. Children did not often survive past their first couple of years of life and warfare and disease were far more prominent. On top of this, many people high up in court had to worry about poison and random ways they could be gotten rid of. The Bulgarian ring gives us great insight into the world of court and intrigue and it’s a far more incredible find than an average bangle or ring, although all old jewelry is typically gorgeous and fascinating.

Apparently, Bulgaria is just chock full of cool finds like the murderous ring. Several months ago, archaeologists uncovered a ton of gold Thracian treasure at a dig site located near the village of Sveshtari. It’s a toss up as to which treasure is more exciting. A treasure trove of gold is probably more valuable, but a murder ring is the sort of the weapon that could have created or broken up dynasties. If researchers could identify the ring’s history, the jewelry has the potential to be even more interesting than it already is. Stay tuned.

Photo Credit@ Kavarna Municipality