Archaeologists have discovered a bronze ring with an inconspicuous cavity that was probably used to hide poison for political murders in medieval Bulgaria.
The ring, which dates back to more than 600 years, was found during excavations at the ruins of Cape Kailakra, where aristocrats of the Dobrudja region lived during the 14th century.
The ring was exquisitely crafted and deliberately hollowed out, and may have been imported from Italy or Spain, said the dig leader Bonnie Petrunova, deputy director of Bulgaria's National Archaeology Museum.
Petrunova believes the ring would have been worn on the pinkie finger of a man's right hand.
The hole would have allowed its wearer to sneakily pour poison into a glass with the flick of his finger, Petrunova said in a statement from Bulgaria's Kavarna municipality.
The archaeologist believes the ring could be linked to Dobrotitsa, a noble who ruled the region in second half of the 14th century, 'LiveScience' reported.
"This explains many of the unexplained deaths among nobles and aristocrats close to Dobrotitsa," local officials in Kavarna said.
