Archaeologists Excavating a Roman Fort in Britain Discovered a Rare Red Gemstone Engraved With a Surprising Design

The intaglio was likely set in a signet ring and used to stamp correspondence at Bremenium, a military outpost located roughly 25 miles north of Hadrian’s Wall

Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent

November 12, 2025 10:42 a.m.

Archaeologists discovered an engraved intaglio that a Roman man stationed at Bremenium in northern England likely used to stamp his correspondence. Elaine Vallack

At some point during the reign of the Roman Empire, a man was stationed at a fort in northern England. He wore a signet ring featuring a bloodred gemstone engraved with a scene from Roman mythology: two Cupid figures picking grapes with a goat-like creature standing nearby. Whenever he wrote and sent letters, the man probably used the ring to stamp his personal mark onto his correspondence.

That’s the scenario archaeologists say likely played out at Bremenium, a Roman fort located roughly 25 miles north of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland National Park. They recently discovered the intricately decorated stone, known as an intaglio, during excavations at the fort.

Need to know: Intaglio versus cameo engraving

An intaglio is carved directly into a gemstone, creating a sunken or hollow image. It is the opposite of a cameo, which is carved in relief and protrudes from the gemstone’s surface.

What lies beneath the ancient soil at Bremenium Fort?

Bremenium was built in the late first century C.E. and remained an important military outpost even after Hadrian’s Wall was completed in 128 C.E.

(Hadrian’s Wall, a 73-mile defensive fortification made of stone and turf, was constructed in just six years to mark the northwest boundary of the Roman Empire.) As Richard Carlton, an archaeologist at Newcastle University who is leading the excavations, wrote in a 2022 report, the fort’s Roman name “signifies ‘the place on the roaring stream,’ presumably a reference to the adjacent Sills Burn [tributary].”

The burgundy intaglio has a unique design that’s uncommon for Roman artifacts found in Northern Europe. Instead, it more closely resembles items found in Croatia and northern Italy, which suggests whoever was wearing it probably came to Bremenium from somewhere in the Mediterranean, reports BBC News’ Tom Burgess.

Archaeologists and volunteers also unearthed shards of broken pottery from across the Roman Empire, including clay jugs known as amphorae that were made in northern Spain and likely used to bring olive oil to Bremenium.

The dig also uncovered a votive oil lamp typically used for lighting altars. Elaine Vallack

Additionally, the team found several brooches, a lead seal for official documents, a spearhead and a lead shot from a Roman soldier’s kit, and a votive oil lamp typically used for lighting altars. They discovered a smaller intaglio, too, plus a length of wood and a piece of preserved fruit that might be a plum.

Once again, this year’s excavation took place in an area outside the main fort, which consisted of a system of enclosures. During previous excavations, researchers have discovered a well-preserved lime kiln, a gate in the outer enclosure’s turf ramparts and a five-foot-wide wall around the inner enclosure.

This year’s results add to those earlier findings by “confirming the presence of the inner enclosure wall and charting the full extent of a large building in the larger enclosure outside it,” says Carlton in a statement. The findings also suggest “the original buildings were infilled, probably in the third century, with later buildings and yard surfaces placed over them.”

Excavations at Bremenium have uncovered a soldier's spearhead, a lead seal and a preserved piece of fruit. Northumberland National Park

The most recent round of excavations has been underway since 2021, but archaeologists have been investigating the site since the mid-19th century. Evidence uncovered at Bremenium could point to “continued military occupation of the fort by a reduced force until at least the middle of the fourth century, or perhaps even its transfer to a friendly federate chieftain,” Carlton noted in the 2022 report.

The new discoveries help inform conservation work inside the national park, but they also “help us understand how people in the past lived from the remains they left behind,” says Chris Jones, historic environment officer for the Northumberland National Park Authority, in the statement.

The annual excavations also offer a chance to engage members of the public in England’s long history. This year’s dig included 44 adult volunteers, 3 younger participants and 24 archaeology students from Newcastle University. For Barry Mead, who has volunteered for the past five years, the best part of the experience is being the “first person to see any of the items I dig up in 1,800 years,” as he tells BBC News.

Archaeology students and volunteers participated in the excavations. Elaine Vallack

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