14 DAY TRIAL // A 2,000-year-old bronze ring that has recently been dug out in Northern Siberia was not intended to be worn by a woman, a man or even a child.
On the contrary, researchers suspect that it was especially made to adorn the claw of one very lucky bear.
Apparently, ancient people living in the region had a cult for bears they shared their home with, and did their best to honor these animals.
Thus, this ring, which depicts a bear's head and paws, would have been fitted to the claw of a recently killed one such animal, sources say.
“The ring is tiny in diameter so even a young girl, let alone a woman, cannot wear it. We concluded that it was used in a ritual connected with a bear cult and was put on the bear claw,” archaeologist Andrey Gusev explains.
“After killing the bear they had a bear festival to honor the animal's memory. The head and front paws a bear were adorned with a handkerchief, rings, and spent a few days lying in the house,” he further details.
Scientists are yet to determine whether the rings, the handkerchief and the pieces of jewelry used in these rituals were especially chosen to match the color of the dead bear's eyes.