A ring can also become a symbol for the society? Yes, if that’s what was found and analyzed by a group of Swedish archaeologists. At a time in history when civilizations are opposed or, better, are opposed for the ideas of the more hardliners, a ring demonstrates the link between the Viking civilization and the Muslim world. Actually the jewel was discovered a century ago in Birka, in northern Sweden, and has at least a thousand years. But now researchers have deepened the analysis on the silver ring, which was found in 1800 in a grave of a Viking woman, dating back to the ninth century. On the ring you can read the inscription “the-la-lah” (Allah) and it’s not an amethyst. It is, however, of matter similar to glass, at that time a rare material produced by the Arabs. Conclusion: in the far north, and in the mysterious southern of Mediterranean, existed peaceful trade relations. Perhaps better than the current ones. Federico Graglia
