Ring of Silvianus

[1] In 1929, during excavations of the site of the Roman temple of Nodens at Lydney Park, the archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler discovered details of the curse.

[6] The Ring of Silvianus was discovered in 1785 in the field of a farm near Silchester, a town of Roman origins, and the site of many archaeological discoveries.

[4] In the early 19th century a lead plaque of a type known as a "curse tablet" or defixio was discovered at the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the god Nodens at Lydney Park, Gloucestershire, 80 miles (130 km) from The Vyne.

Tolkien, as Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, to investigate the etymology of the name "Nodens" referred to in the curse.

[4][5][8][9] Until 2013, the Ring of Silvianus remained in the library at The Vyne and was little known, but it was then placed on display there in its own exhibition, along with a copy of the inscription on the curse tablet.

It is thought that other aspects of the archaeology of the Lydney area, including an Iron Age Roman fort, may have influenced Tolkien's writings.

[1] In Tolkien's legendarium, the One Ring was forged by the Dark Lord Sauron in order to enslave the inhabitants of Middle-earth.