Using a metal detector, an amateur treasure hunter accidentally found an ancient Roman ring made of solid gold, dating back up to 1,800 years in Somerset, England in 2018.

Jason Massey, 45, a former pest control worker, never expected to find a valuable piece of jewellery engraved with the image of the goddess of victory in a field near Crewkerne.

It is believed to have belonged to a “high-status” figure, and has the potential to become one of the most important archaeological finds in contemporary history.

Jason Massey and the precious antique jewelry he found

It is believed to have belonged to a “high-class” personage, the ring’s face is engraved with the Roman goddess of victory.

Massey served in the British Army from 1989 to 1992. The location where he found the ring is also believed to be a high-class palace from the Roman era.

In addition, Mr Massey and the landowner will split 50/50 any profits from the ring once researchers at the British Museum determine its value.

Finding coins made of silver and bronze is much more common than finding gold objects, which were owned by wealthy Romans.

The area where Jason Massey found the gold ring

For thousands of years, Britain was the subject of frequent invasions, planned and actual, by the armies of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire.

Like other areas on the fringes of the empire, Britannia had enjoyed diplomatic and commercial contacts with the Romans for nearly a century since Julius Caesar’s expeditions in 55 and 54 BC.