A gold wedding ring from the Roman era has been discovered in the ancient city of Bononia (modern-day Vidin) in Bulgaria. It weighs a hefty 26.63 grams and dates to the second half of the 2nd century A.D.The central plate of the ring is oval and contains an image of a couple, typical iconography in this period for marital fidelity rings which were exchanged between newlyweds. The oval plate was soldered to the ring band which is decorated with cannulae (parallel grooves) on both sides. It was locally produced, likely in a goldsmiths workshop in the nearby city of Ratsiaria, today the village or Archar.Bononia was founded in the late 1st century or the beginning of the 2nd century. It is believed to have originated as the military fort of the First Cisipadensium Cohort. The sone and brick fortress was built during the reign of Constantine (306-337 A.D.). It had a rectangular layout, with its long sides aligned with the Danube River, one of the Empires natural boundary lines. The walls were massively thick, more than 14 feet wide at the base, and had equally massive towers at regular intervals. The towers were circular with internal diameters of 65 feet with decagonal upper sections.This is the 11th consecutive year of excavation of Bononia, and the focus was on fully exploring Tower No. 10, one of only two towers with remains still visible today. The ring was discovered 20 feet below the surface in a layer from the 2nd-3rd century on the very last day of this years excavation.The site has now been winterized, but archaeologists will return next year to continue the exploration of ancient Bononia. The municipality plans to uncover as much of Bononia as possible and open it to the public as a slice of the citys rich history as one Bulgarias oldest cities.