Around the second or third century C.E., a gold ring bearing the likeness of the Roman goddess Venus was lost on a road in what is now Brittany.
The newly uncovered ring dates to Brittany’s occupation by the Romans, which began with Julius Caesar’s conquest of the region in 56 B.C.E. During this period, a network of roads connected locals, who drove around in wheeled vehicles that left tracks still visible today. One such traveler likely lost their ring on the road, where it remained for nearly two millennia.
The ring survived in an “exceptional state of preservation,” says the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP). The gold band contains an engraved nicolo, or “onyx agate cut to leave a thin layer of faint whitish blue over a thicker layer of black,” according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The nicolo gem depicts Venus Victrix, or Venus the Victorious, a name for the Roman goddess that emphasizes her association with imperial power and romantic conquests alike. In the ancient era, Venus Victrix, who borrowed her ties to military might from Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of war and sexual love, was often shown in full armor. Roman generals “were known to call on Venus Victrix before battle and offer devotion to her cult,” says Artnet.