David Seaman
Three rings for the elven kings under the sky.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Seven for the dwarf lords in their halls of stone.
Nine for mortal men doomed to die.
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne.
[But yet there was another.] – D.S.
In the fields of Trent University, by the Trent University sign there began an excavation like no other.
On the 7th of May, a ring was found. This ring had the inscription of “A. P” with a depiction of a saw and axe. This ring is the lost ring of (who we think is) Albert Parker.
But enough with the Lord of the Rings references…
Last week was a pretty good week excavating the site of BcGn-23 where I had the experience to unearth a signet ring. This ring (as seen below) has the initials “A. P.” engraved on it, where a saw and an axe are also engraved on either side of the initials. Through some extensive research, we have been able to possibly identify the owner of the ring. The man who may have owned this ring was named Albert Parker, who was a sawmill worker here at the Nassau Mills site during the late 1880s to 1890s.
The feeling I got when discovering the ring through our excavation, as well as learning of who may have previously owned the ring, was joy and intrigue. I felt joyful when I found the ring since it is something which was unique, as well as something that was very personal to whoever wore it. The ring also intrigued me since in the back of my mind I knew that this artifact had not seen the light of day in over 125 years.
This was a special moment for me and my digging partners, and I hope for many more special moments in the days to come that we have left at this field school.
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