Alhstan's ring

Alhstan's ring is a gold bishop's ring with niello inlays , which Alhstan (817–867), the Bishop of Sherborne , is assigned.

The ring was found during earthworks in Llysfaen , Conwy, County Borough , Wales in the 18th century and is 2.8 cm in diameter. The find is formed from alternating diamond-shaped and oval-circular shields or plates. The diamond-shaped signs show an ornamental decor with additional depictions of mythical animals. The oval-circular shields serve as a carrier for the inscription of the name Alhstans. The ring is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The peculiarity of the inscription, schematically: A · LH · ST · An , is that there is a mixed form of Latin, stylized capitalis ( initial ) and traditional Anglo-Saxon runic script ( Futhorc ). In the past, the inscription resolved sign stands next to the Latin A the n rune . Such mixed forms can often be found in Anglo-Saxon finds of the 8th and 9th centuries on jewelry such as finger rings and as embossing on coins.

literature

• Samuel Pegge : Illustration of a gold enameled Ring, supposed to have been of Alhstan, Bishop of Sherburne. Read in the Society of Antiquaries Dec. 2. 1773 . (London 1773).
• David M. Wilson : Alhstan's Ring . In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde Vol. 1, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1973, ISBN 3-11-004489-7 , p. 170 Google Books .