Ring that inspired Tolkien on show

The Roman gold ring. Photo:AP

A Roman gold ring that could have inspired J.R.R Tolkien to write The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is going on exhibition in England.

Found in a field in southern England in 1785, the ring is linked to a Roman tablet inscribed with a curse on the thief who stole it.

That tablet was found at the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the god Nodens in Gloucestershire, western England. Tolkien worked on the etymology of the name Nodens in 1929 and visited the temple several times.

The exhibition will explore the ring’s story and let visitors decide whether it is Tolkien’s One Ring.