14 DAY TRIAL // Archaeologists carrying out excavations in Bulgaria have recently announced the discovery of a so-called poison ring.
The piece of jewelry is made of bronze. It was uncovered among the ruins of Cape Kaliakra in the Dobrudja region, and specialists estimate that it is at least 600 years old.
Archaeologists say that the ring most likely belonged to an aristocrat named Dobrotitsa, who used it to commit covert political murders, Live Science tells us.
Thus, the ring is hollow, and has a small hole on one of its sides. Specialists suspect the person to whom this ring belonged used it to kill people by hiding poison inside its cavity.
When the time was right, he would pour the poison in his unsuspecting victim's food or drink.
“It's a unique ring. I have no doubts that the hole is there on purpose and the ring was worn on the right hand, because the hole was made in such a way so as to be covered by a finger, thus the poison could be dropped at a moment's notice,” archaeologist Bonnie Petrunova said, as cited by Geekologie.
“Clearly, it was not worn constantly and would have been put on when necessary,” he went on to argue.
Interestingly enough, it appears that, at some point in medieval Bulgaria's history, several aristocrats living in the region where this ring was found died in rather mysterious circumstances.
It is likely that they were killed by Dobrotitsa, who used this ring to poison them.
As archaeologist Bonnie Petrunova put it, “It [the discovery of the ring] would solve many of the unexplained deaths among nobles and aristocrats close to Dobrotitsa.”
Specialists who have had the chance to examine the ring say that the piece was jewelry is exquisitely crafted.
Judging by its style, it is likely that the aristocrat who owned it got it from either Italy or Spain.