First International Conference on the Mysterious Picene Ring in Ascoli Piceno

The first international conference on the enigmatic Picene Ring (Anellone Piceno) will take place on August 23-24, 2025, at the Giardino dell'Arengo in Ascoli Piceno, Italy. Organized and curated by anthropologist Giacomo Recchioni, the event aims to gather scholars to discuss the latest research on this bronze artifact found exclusively in female burials between the Tronto and Tenna valleys in the Marche and Abruzzo regions. The ring, made of copper, tin, and other metals, has been variously interpreted as a sacred ornament, status symbol, honorary crown, ritual weapon, magical object, or pre-monetary item, but its true function remains unknown. It is held in major European museums including the Louvre, Cabinet des Médailles in Paris, and museums in Madrid, Karlsruhe, Mainz, Rome, Milan, Novara, and Florence. The conference will feature new interpretations, including one by art critic Walter Scotucci. The ring's placement in the abdominal-pelvic area of female skeletons suggests a sacral and magical-religious significance related to fertility and possibly a female priestly role linked to the indigenous goddess Kupra. Recent studies have found traces of leather on the rings, hinting they may have been attached to a belt or cushion. The first written interpretation was by Monaldo Leopardi (father of poet Giacomo Leopardi) in 1727, who considered it an honorary crown.