diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 05a0a4f..c634e9c 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -15,3 +15,6 @@ members = [
 strip = true
 # debug = true
 # lto = true
+
+[profile.bench]
+debug = true
diff --git a/syndicate/Cargo.toml b/syndicate/Cargo.toml
index 1bf8613..2e686b2 100644
--- a/syndicate/Cargo.toml
+++ b/syndicate/Cargo.toml
@@ -43,3 +43,7 @@ criterion = "0.3"
 [[bench]]
 name = "bench_dataspace"
 harness = false
+
+[[bench]]
+name = "ring"
+harness = false
diff --git a/syndicate/benches/ring.rs b/syndicate/benches/ring.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d672da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/syndicate/benches/ring.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+use criterion::{criterion_group, criterion_main, Criterion};
+
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::sync::atomic::AtomicU64;
+use std::sync::atomic::Ordering;
+use std::time::Duration;
+use std::time::Instant;
+
+use syndicate::actor::*;
+
+use tokio::runtime::Runtime;
+
+static ACTORS_CREATED: AtomicU64 = AtomicU64::new(0);
+static MESSAGES_SENT: AtomicU64 = AtomicU64::new(0);
+
+pub fn bench_ring(c: &mut Criterion) {
+    syndicate::convenient_logging().unwrap();
+
+    let rt = Runtime::new().unwrap();
+
+    c.bench_function("Armstrong's Ring", |b| {
+        // "Write a ring benchmark. Create N processes in a ring. Send a message round the ring
+        // M times so that a total of N * M messages get sent. Time how long this takes for
+        // different values of N and M."
+        //   -- Joe Armstrong, "Programming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World"
+        //
+        // Here we fix N = 1000, and let `iters` take on the role of M.
+        //
+        b.iter_custom(|iters| {
+            const ACTOR_COUNT: u32 = 1000;
+            ACTORS_CREATED.store(0, Ordering::SeqCst);
+            MESSAGES_SENT.store(0, Ordering::SeqCst);
+            let (tx, rx) = std::sync::mpsc::sync_channel(1);
+            rt.block_on(async move {
+                struct Forwarder {
+                    next: Arc<Ref<()>>,
+                }
+                struct Counter {
+                    start: Instant,
+                    tx: std::sync::mpsc::SyncSender<Duration>,
+                    remaining_to_send: u64,
+                    iters: u64,
+                    next: Arc<Ref<()>>,
+                }
+                struct Spawner {
+                    self_ref: Arc<Ref<Arc<Ref<()>>>>, // !
+                    tx: std::sync::mpsc::SyncSender<Duration>,
+                    iters: u64,
+                    i: u32,
+                    c: Arc<Ref<()>>,
+                }
+
+                impl Entity<()> for Forwarder {
+                    fn message(&mut self, t: &mut Activation, _message: ()) -> ActorResult {
+                        MESSAGES_SENT.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                        t.message(&self.next, ());
+                        Ok(())
+                    }
+                }
+
+                impl Counter {
+                    fn step(&mut self, t: &mut Activation) {
+                        if self.remaining_to_send > 0 {
+                            self.remaining_to_send -= 1;
+                            MESSAGES_SENT.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                            t.message(&self.next, ());
+                        } else {
+                            tracing::info!(iters = self.iters,
+                                           actors_created = ACTORS_CREATED.load(Ordering::SeqCst),
+                                           messages_sent = MESSAGES_SENT.load(Ordering::SeqCst));
+                            t.stop();
+                            self.tx.send(self.start.elapsed() / ACTOR_COUNT).unwrap()
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+
+                impl Entity<()> for Counter {
+                    fn message(&mut self, t: &mut Activation, _message: ()) -> ActorResult {
+                        Ok(self.step(t))
+                    }
+                }
+
+                impl Spawner {
+                    fn step(&mut self, t: &mut Activation, next: Arc<Ref<()>>) {
+                        if self.i < ACTOR_COUNT {
+                            let i = self.i;
+                            self.i += 1;
+                            let spawner_ref = Arc::clone(&self.self_ref);
+                            ACTORS_CREATED.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                            Actor::new().boot(syndicate::name!("forwarder", ?i), move |t| {
+                                let _ = t.prevent_inert_check();
+                                let f = t.create(Forwarder {
+                                    next,
+                                });
+                                t.message(&spawner_ref, f);
+                                Ok(())
+                            });
+                        } else {
+                            let mut c_state = Counter {
+                                start: Instant::now(),
+                                tx: self.tx.clone(),
+                                remaining_to_send: self.iters,
+                                iters: self.iters,
+                                next,
+                            };
+                            c_state.step(t);
+                            self.c.become_entity(c_state);
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+
+                impl Entity<Arc<Ref<()>>> for Spawner {
+                    fn message(&mut self, t: &mut Activation, f: Arc<Ref<()>>) -> ActorResult {
+                        Ok(self.step(t, f))
+                    }
+                }
+
+                ACTORS_CREATED.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                Actor::new().boot(syndicate::name!("counter"), move |t| {
+                    let _ = t.prevent_inert_check();
+                    let mut s = Spawner {
+                        self_ref: t.create_inert(),
+                        tx,
+                        iters,
+                        i: 1,
+                        c: t.create_inert(),
+                    };
+                    s.step(t, Arc::clone(&s.c));
+                    Arc::clone(&s.self_ref).become_entity(s);
+                    Ok(())
+                }).await.unwrap().unwrap();
+            });
+            rx.recv().unwrap()
+        })
+    });
+}
+
+criterion_group!(ring, bench_ring);
+criterion_main!(ring);