Friday, 17th June 2005 (2817 views)

Antique jewellery discovered in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad is puzzling archaeologists.

Eleven jewellery items made of gold and other precious metals were found in a ten centimetre round box during an excavation at the site of a medieval castle in the city.

They are known to date from the sixteenth century but archaeologists say that they are unlike any other jewellery pieces found in the area.

According to Anatoly Valuey from the Kaliningrad museum of history and arts, one of the objects depicts an allegorical scene in which human figures carry stars as heads.

"Most probably, it was used for fortune-telling," Mr Valuey told the Russian television station Ren TV.

Experts believe that the rings and amulets may have been the property of a counsellor of Albrecht, Duke of Prussia, who is known to have had an interest in both astrology and black magic.

They have indicated that there are no more than ten such items in Europe, according to the television report.

 

« Back to the stories

 

The news feeds on this site are independently provided by Adfero Limited © and do not represent the views or opinions of the World Gold Council.