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{{coord|52.35|N|1.2|W|region:GB|display=title}}
{{No footnotes|date=April 2009}}
{{Infobox Artifact
{{Infobox Artefact
| name = Hoxne Hoard
| name = Hoxne Hoard
| image =[[File:Silver gilt strainer spoons marine beast hoxne treasure.JPG|300px]]
| image =
| image_caption =Two silver-gilt strainer spoons and a spoon decorated with a mythical marine creature. Alongside coins and jewelery many silver tableware items were found in the hoard.
| image_caption =
| material = {{nowrap begin}}[[Gold]]{{·wrap}} [[Silver]]{{nowrap end}}
| material = [[Gold]], [[silver]], [[bronze]]
| created = 5th century
| created = fourth or fifth century
| discovered = [[Hoxne]] in [[1992 in archaeology|1992]]
| discovered = [[Hoxne]], [[Suffolk]] in 1992
| location = [[British Museum]]
| location = [[British Museum]]
}}
}}
The '''Hoxne Hoard''' ({{Pron-en|ˈhɒksən hɔrd}} {{respell|HOK|sən hord}})<ref>{{cite web |title=The Juliana Bracelet from the Hoxne hoard|date= |accessdate=19 June 2010 |publisher=British Museum |url=http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_prb/t/hoxne_hoard_juliana_bracelet.aspx}}</ref> is the largest [[hoard]] of Roman silver and gold {{asof|2010|6|alt=discovered in Britain to date}}.<ref name="hist" /> Discovered by [[metal detectorist]] Eric Lawes in the village of [[Hoxne]] in [[Suffolk]], England on {{nowrap|16 November}} 1992, the hoard comprises a [[Treasure trove|cache]] of 14,865 [[Roman currency|Roman gold and silver coins]] from the late fourth and early fifth centuries, and approximately 200 items of silver [[tableware]] and jewellery.<ref name=jstor>[http://www.jstor.org/pss/526995 The Hoxne Late Roman treasure C Johns and R Bland], retrieved 17&nbsp;June 2010.</ref>


Coins found in the hoard date it to some time between 407 AD and 450 AD, the period of the [[Roman departure from Britain]].<ref name=bj93>{{harv|Johns|Bland|1994|pp=167–68}}.</ref> At the time the [[Treasure Valuation Committee]] valued the hoard at [[£]]1.75 million.<ref name="independent" />
Discovered by [[metal detectorist]] Eric Lawes in the [[village]] of [[Hoxne]] in [[Suffolk]] on 16 November 1992, the '''Hoxne Hoard''' was a [[cache]] of approximately 15,000 (exact figure varies depending on source) late 4th and early 5th century [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[gold]] and [[silver]] [[coins]] and around 200 items of [[silver]] [[tableware]] and [[jewellery]] believed to have been hidden during the [[political]] turmoil of the early 5th century AD.


==Historical background==
It is the largest [[hoard]] of late 4th and early 5th century Roman [[silver]] and [[gold]] ever discovered in the [[United Kingdom]]. The entire [[hoard]] was declared [[treasure trove]] and purchased by the [[British Museum]], several items from the [[hoard]], like the silver tigress, are on permanent display there. Lawes and the [[tenant farmer]] received £1.75 [[million]] for the find, which they divided equally.
At the time that the objects in the Hoxne hoard were created and buried, the modern country of England was the [[Roman province of Britannia]]. [[Hoxne]], where the hoard was discovered, is located in [[Suffolk]], in modern day [[East Anglia]]. During the period of Roman occupation, there was a settlement nearby at modern day [[Scole]] on the [[Pye Road]] (today's A140) that linked [[Venta Icenorum]] to [[Camulodunum]].


Coins in the Hoard indicate that it was buried no earlier than 407 and probably not later than 450. The latest coins in the hoard bear the face of [[Constantine III (western emperor)|Constantine III]], were minted in 407 or 408, and are amongst the last Roman coins to enter Britain. Roman coins circulated for several more decades. The ''[[siliquae]]'' of the Hoard are very heavily clipped, suggesting perhaps, that they were used and degraded after the withdrawal of Roman authority. This led British Museum archaeologists to estimate the last possible date for the burial of the hoard as approximately 450.<ref name=bj93/>
The hoard was number 3 in the list of British archaeological finds selected by experts at the [[British Museum]] for the [[2003 in television|2003]] [[BBC Television]] [[Documentary television series|documentary]] ''[[Our Top Ten Treasures]]'' which included archive footage of Lawes.

===Turmoil in Britain, 406–450===

The Hoxne hoard was buried during a period of great upheaval in Britain, marked by the collapse of Roman authority in the province, the departure of the majority of the Roman army, and the first of a wave of attacks by the [[Anglo-Saxon]]s.

Attacks on Italy by the [[Visigoths]] around the turn of the fifth century caused the general [[Stilicho]] to recall Roman army units from [[Rhaetia]], [[Gaul]], and [[Britannia]].<ref>{{harv|Snyder|1998|pp=18, 269}}.</ref>. While Stilicho held off the Visigoth attack, the Western provinces were left defenceless against [[Suebi]], [[Alans]], and [[Vandals]] who crossed the frozen [[Rhine]] in 406 and overran Gaul. The remaining Roman troops in Britain, fearing that the invaders would cross the channel, elected a series of "emperors" of their own to lead the defence.

The first two such emperors were put to death by the dissatisfied soldiery in a matter of months, but the third, who would become Constantine III, led a British force across the [[English Channel]] to Gaul to fight the barbarians and, ultimately challenged the emperor, [[Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]], himself. After scoring victories against the barbarians in Gaul, Constantine was defeated by an army loyal to Honorius and beheaded in 411.<ref>{{harv|Snyder|1998|pp=19–22}}.</ref> Meanwhile, Constantine's departure had left Britain vulnerable to attacks from [[Saxon]] and Irish raiders. In a letter of 410 called the "Rescript of Honorius", the emperor refused to send help and instructed the cities of Britain to look to their own defence.<ref>{{harv|Snyder|1998|pp=24–25}}.</ref>

From 410 on, militarily and administratively, Roman Britain was essentially an independent Romano-British state, or states, subject to incursions from Germanic North European tribes. After this time, Roman histories are quiet about events in Britain.<ref>{{harv|Snyder|1998|p=30}}.</ref> Writing in the next decade, [[Jerome|Saint Jerome]] described Britain after 410 as a "province fertile of tyrants",<ref>{{harv|Snyder|1998|p=98}}.</ref> and in 452, a Gaulish chronicler was able to state that some ten years previously "the Britains, which to this time had suffered from various disasters and misfortunes, are reduced by the power of the Saxons".<ref>{{harv|Snyder|1998|p=36}}.</ref> The British cleric [[Gildas]] wrote ''[[De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae]] (On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain)'' sometime around 540, which contains an account of the [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain|arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain]], and of what he described as a long, recent war between Romano-British and Germanic peoples in the British Isles.<ref>{{harv|Snyder|1998|pp=112–113}}.</ref>

By 560 the area now known as Hoxne was part of the [[Kingdom of East Anglia]], one of the [[Heptarchy|Anglo Saxon kingdoms]] that eventually merged to form England. The Romano-British culture, whose art we see in the Hoxne hoard, persisted farther west and gave rise to modern day [[Wales]] and [[Cornwall]].

==Discovery==
The hoard was discovered by [[metal detectorist]] Eric Lawes in a field at [[Hoxne]], [[Suffolk]], England on {{nowrap|16 November}} 1992.

Because Lawes promptly reported the find, the treasure was excavated professionally, and is largely intact. The entire hoard was declared [[treasure trove]], valued at £1,750,000 and purchased by the British Museum;<ref name="independent">{{cite news | first=Stephen | last=Goodwin | title=Plan to extend protection for buried treasure | url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/plan-to-extend-protection-for-buried-treasure-1341027.html | newspaper=[[The Independent]] | date=9 March 1996 | accessdate=17 June 2010}}</ref> Lawes and the [[tenant farmer]] divided the money equally.{{cn}}

The hoard now is held at the British Museum, where several items, including the silver tigress, are on display. It was third in the list of British archaeological finds selected by experts at the British Museum for the [[2003 in television|2003]] [[BBC Television]] [[Documentary television series|documentary]] ''[[Our Top Ten Treasures]]'', which included archive footage of Lawes.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2622111.stm | title=Top ten treasures announced | date=2 January 2003 | newspaper=[[BBC News]] | accessdate=17 June 2010}}</ref>

Since the initial find, further Roman coins have been found in the same field and generally are deemed part of the same hoard.

==Items discovered==
The hoard is mainly made up of gold and silver coins and jewellery. Evidently, the hoard had been packed inside a wooden chest of approximately 60×45×30&nbsp;cm. Within the chest, some items had been placed in wooden caskets, while others had been packed in woolen cloth or hay. Fragments of the chest and its fittings were recorded during the excavation.

* 569 gold ''[[Solidus (coin)|solidi]]'' coins, struck between the reigns of [[Valentinian I]] (364&ndash;75) and [[Honorius]] (393&ndash;423)<ref name=jb169>{{harv|Johns|Bland|1994|p=169}}.</ref>
* 14,272 silver coins, including 60 ''[[miliarense]]s'' and 14,212 ''[[siliqua]]e'', stuck between the reigns of [[Constantine II]] (337&ndash;40) and Honorius<ref name=jb169/>
* 24 bronze ''[[nummus|nummae]]'' coins<ref name=jb169/>
* 29 items of jewellery in gold<ref>{{harv|Johns|Bland|1994|p=170}}.</ref>
* Roughly 100 silver spoons and ladles<ref name=jb171>{{harv|Johns|Bland|1994|p=171}}.</ref>
* A silver tigress, used as a handle for a vase or [[amphora]]<ref name=jb171/>
* 5 silver bowls<ref name=jstor/>
* 4 pepper pots including the Empress Pepper Pot<ref name="hist">[http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/PJvWylU-Tlm_mo0HRFjbHw BBC History of the world in 100 objects], retrieved 17&nbsp;June 2010.</ref>
* Toiletry items such as [[toothpick]]s

===Golden jewellery===
[[File:Gold body chain hoxne treasure reflections.JPG|right|thumb|alt=Frontal view of a grey female bust with four gold bands of many fine links, two draped over the shoulders and two plunging from the breast bone sweeping below the breasts and going behind the back. The four converge between the breasts, where each band ends in a head which connects to a centrepiece, a purple gem surrounded by eight smaller sockets, four empty and four with red stones|Frontal view of a gold body chain with an [[Amethyst]] and four [[garnet]]s; four other gems, thought to have been pearls, are missing.<ref>&nbsp;{{British-Museum-db|T304 / Registration:1994,0408.1|id=1362670}}.</ref><ref>The Hoxne Treasure an illustrated introduction page 20 Bland & Johns ISBN 0714123013 retrieved 18th June 2010 "four round cells which are now empty but which probably contained pearls. Pearls often decay during burial."</ref>]]

The golden jewellery contained in the Hoard includes one [[Hoxne body-chain|body-chain]], six necklaces, three rings, and nineteen bracelets. The total weight of the gold jewels is about 1&nbsp;kg,<ref>Johns 2010, p. 25.</ref> and the average gold content of the golden jewellery is 91.5%, with the rest silver and copper.<ref>Johns 2010, p. 182.</ref> (about 23 [[carat]])

The most important golden item in the hoard is the body-chain, which consists of four finely-woven golden straps, attached by terminals in the shape of lions' heads to a jewelled mount at the front. The mount holds a large [[amethyst]] and four smaller [[garnet]]s; four other stones, possibly [[pearl]]s, are missing. At the back, the straps meet at a clasp, which is decorated with a gold ''[[solidus]]'' of [[Gratian]] ([[r.]] 373&ndash;383). Body-chains of this type appear in Roman artistic depictions, often adorning the goddess [[Venus]] or [[nymph]]s, and often in an erotically-charged context. However, they are also depicted worn by modestly-dressed, respectable ladies.<ref>Johns 2010, p. 25&ndash;6.</ref>

Of the necklaces, one features lion-headed terminals, and another stylized dolphins. The other four are relatively plain. Normally, necklaces similar length to these would be worn in the Roman period with a [[pendant]], but no pendants were found in the Hoard.<ref>Johns 2010, p. 30&ndash;32.</ref> The three rings would originally have been set with gemstones, pieces of glass, or plaques, but these features were removed from the rings at some stage before they were buried. The rings are of dissimilar design, one with an oval bezel, one with a circular bezel, and one with a large oblong bezel.<ref>Johns 2010, p. 34.</ref>

The 19 bracelets buried in the Hoard include a number of matched sets. There are three sets of four gold bracelets; one set have been decorated by corrugating the gold with lateral and transverse grooves, the other two sets bear pierced-work geometric designs. Another five bracelets bear hunting scenes; three have such designed executed in pierced-work while two more are [[Repoussé and chasing|Repoussé]]. One of the bracelets is the only golden item to carry an inscription, which reads "{{lang|la|''Utere Felix Domina Juliane''}}" in [[Latin]], meaning "Use this happily, Lady Juliane".<ref>Johns 2010, p. 42-53.</ref>

===Silver items===

There are around 100 silver items in the Hoard. They include a unique [[Hoxne silver tigress|silver tigress]], used as a handle for a vase or amphora; four ''piperatoria'' or spice containers]; two cups or goblets, four bowls, and 98 silver spoons and ladles.

The ''piperatoria'' (or pepper-pots) include one vessel very finely modelled after a wealthy lady, which soon became known as the [[Empress Pepper Pot]]. In spite of the name, the image does not appear to be that of any Empress, or indeed any of the Roman goddesses. The other ''piperatoria'' in the hoard are modelled into a statue of [[Hercules]] and [[Antaeus]], an ibex, and a hare and hound together. Each of the ''piperatoria'' has a mechanism in the base to rotate an internal disc, which controls the aperture of two holes in the base. When fully open, the containers could be filled using a funnel; when part-open they can be shaken over food or drink to add spices. While ''piperatoria'' is generally translated as 'pepper-pot', [[black pepper]] is only one of a number of high-status spices with which the vessels might have have been filled.

The large collection of spoons includes 51 [[cochlearia]], which are small spoons with a long, tapering handle; 23 [[cigni]], large spoons with shorter, bird-headed handles; and about 20 ladles and strainer-spoons. A set of spoons are inscribed with the name "Aurelius Ursicinus". Others are decorated, principally with dolphins, or mythical marine creatures.

The average purity of the silver items was 96%. The remainder is made up of copper and a small amount of zinc, with trace amounts of lead, gold, and bismuth present. The zinc is likely to have been present in a copper brass used to alloy the silver when the objects were made, and the lead, gold, and bismuth were most likely present in the unrefined silver ore.<ref>Johns 2010, p. 178.</ref>

===Coins===
{{Location map start|Western Europe|float=right|width=450}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=52.35|long=1.2|position=left|label=<div style="position: relative; top: 0.5em;">[[Hoxne|Hoxne, Suffolk]]</div>}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=49.757|long=6.64|position=left|label=<div style="position: relative; top: 1em; left: 0.5em;">[[Trier]]</div>}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=45.76|long=4.84|position=top|label=<div style="position: relative; top: -0.5em; left: -0.5em;">[[Lyon]]</div>}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=43.677|long=4.628|position=left|label=<div style="position: relative; top: -0.5em; left: 0.5em;">[[Arles]]</div>}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=45.46|long=9.19|label=[[Milan]]}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=44.417|long=12.2|label=[[Ravenna]]}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=41.9|long=12.5|label=[[Rome]]}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=45.77|long=13.37|label=[[Aquileia]]}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=44.98|long=19.62|label=[[Sirmium|Sirmium, Serbia]]}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=40.63|long=22.95|position=left|label=<div style="position: relative; top: -0.5em; left: 0.5em;">[[Thessalonika]]</div>}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=41.01|long=28.98|position=top|label=<div style="position: relative; top: -0.5em; left: 0.5em;">[[Constantinople]]</div>}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=40.39|long=27.8|position=left|label=<div style="position: relative; top: 1em; left: 0.5em;">[[Cyzicus]]</div>}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=40.55|long=30.28|position=right|label=<div style="position: relative; top: 1em; left: 0.5em;">[[Nicomedia]]</div>}}
{{Location map marker|Western Europe|lat=36.2|long=36.15|position=right|label=<div style="position: relative; top: 1em; left: 0.5em;">[[Antioch]]</div>}}
{{Location map end|Western Europe|caption=Coins from the hoard came from a number of locations across Europe.<ref name="BMcoinmap"/>}}
The coins allow for the hoard to be dated and they give a guide to the commerce at the time. The coins have been traced back to locations in present day France, Germany, Serbia, Greece and Turkey.<ref name="BMcoinmap">British Museum display</ref>

==Significance==

The Hoxne Hoard is the largest collection of gold and silver coins of the fourth and fifth century found within the entire [[Roman Empire]], however, other finds have included more gold coins. A hoard of 650 gold coins of similar dates is known to have been found at [[Eye, Suffolk|Eye]], four miles from Hoxne, during the 1780s—leading to speculation that the two finds are related.<ref>{{harv|Johns|Bland|1994|p=166}}.</ref> In addition to the scale of the find and the workmanship of many of the items in it, however, the Hoxne Hoard is of particular archaeological importance because the whole find was largely intact when excavated.<ref>{{harv|Johns|Bland|1994|p=173}}.</ref> The existence of the 1996 Treasure Act is thought to have contributed to more hoards being made available to archaeologists. The Act changed the law so that the owner of the land and the person who finds the hoard have a strong stake in the value of the discovery.<ref name="Gilcrist">{{cite web|last=Gilcrist|first=Andrew|title=There's gold in them there hills|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2003/nov/17/heritage.highereducation|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=22 June 2010}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|United Kingdom}}
* [[Mildenhall Treasure]]
* [[Sutton Hoo]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
*{{citation | last=Johns | first=Catherine | year=2010 | title=The Hoxne Late Roman Treasure: Gold Jewellery and Silver Plate | publisher=British Museum Press | isbn=9780714118178 }}
*{{citation |last=Johns |first=Catherine |year=1994 |title=The Hoxne Late Roman Treasure |last2=Bland |first2=Roger |journal=Britannia |pages=165–173 |location=vol. 25 |issn=0068113 |oclc=486318148 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/526995?origin=pubexport }}
*{{citation|last=Snyder |first=Christopher A. |year=1998 |title=An Age of Tyrants: Britain, AD 400-600 |place=University Park, PA |publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press |isbn=0217017805}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*{{citation|last=Bland |first=Roger |year=1993 |title=The Hoxne treasure : an illustrated introduction |last2=Johns |first2=Catherine |publisher= British Museum Press |isbn=9780714123011}}
*The Late Roman Gold and Silver Coins from the Hoxne Treasure by [[Peter Guest]] ISBN 0-7141-1810-9
*{{citation | last=Guest | first=Peter S. W. | year=2005 | title=The late Roman gold and silver coins from the Hoxne treasure | publisher=British Museum Press | isbn=9780714118109 }}
*The Hoxne Treasure: An Illustrated Handbook [[Roger Bland]], [[Catherine Johns]] ISBN 0-7141-2301-3
*{{citation | last=Potter | first=Timothy W. | year=1997 | title=Roman Britain | edition=2 | publisher=British Museum Press | isbn=9780714121185 }}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Hoxne hoard}}
*[http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_prb/t/the_hoxne_hoard.aspx British Museum: Hoxne Hoard]
* [http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_prb/t/the_hoxne_hoard.aspx British Museum: Hoxne Hoard]
* {{cite web |title=A History of the World - Object: Silver pot from a Roman treasure hoard, found in England the pepper it contained came from India |date=22 September 2008 |accessdate=17 June 2010 |publisher=BBC and British Museum |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/PJvWylU-Tlm_mo0HRFjbHw}}


[[Category:History of Suffolk]]
[[Category:History of Suffolk]]
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[[Category:Archaeological sites in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Treasure troves in England]]
[[Category:Treasure troves in England]]
[[Category:A History of the World in 100 Objects]]

[[fr:Trésor de Hoxne]]

Revision as of 09:15, 23 June 2010

52°21′N 1°12′W / 52.35°N 1.2°W / 52.35; -1.2

Hoxne Hoard
Two silver-gilt strainer spoons and a spoon decorated with a mythical marine creature. Alongside coins and jewelery many silver tableware items were found in the hoard.
MaterialGold, silver, bronze
Createdfourth or fifth century
DiscoveredHoxne, Suffolk in 1992
Present locationBritish Museum

The Hoxne Hoard (Template:Pron-en HOK-sən hord)[1] is the largest hoard of Roman silver and gold discovered in Britain to date.[2] Discovered by metal detectorist Eric Lawes in the village of Hoxne in Suffolk, England on 16 November 1992, the hoard comprises a cache of 14,865 Roman gold and silver coins from the late fourth and early fifth centuries, and approximately 200 items of silver tableware and jewellery.[3]

Coins found in the hoard date it to some time between 407 AD and 450 AD, the period of the Roman departure from Britain.[4] At the time the Treasure Valuation Committee valued the hoard at £1.75 million.[5]

Historical background

At the time that the objects in the Hoxne hoard were created and buried, the modern country of England was the Roman province of Britannia. Hoxne, where the hoard was discovered, is located in Suffolk, in modern day East Anglia. During the period of Roman occupation, there was a settlement nearby at modern day Scole on the Pye Road (today's A140) that linked Venta Icenorum to Camulodunum.

Coins in the Hoard indicate that it was buried no earlier than 407 and probably not later than 450. The latest coins in the hoard bear the face of Constantine III, were minted in 407 or 408, and are amongst the last Roman coins to enter Britain. Roman coins circulated for several more decades. The siliquae of the Hoard are very heavily clipped, suggesting perhaps, that they were used and degraded after the withdrawal of Roman authority. This led British Museum archaeologists to estimate the last possible date for the burial of the hoard as approximately 450.[4]

Turmoil in Britain, 406–450

The Hoxne hoard was buried during a period of great upheaval in Britain, marked by the collapse of Roman authority in the province, the departure of the majority of the Roman army, and the first of a wave of attacks by the Anglo-Saxons.

Attacks on Italy by the Visigoths around the turn of the fifth century caused the general Stilicho to recall Roman army units from Rhaetia, Gaul, and Britannia.[6]. While Stilicho held off the Visigoth attack, the Western provinces were left defenceless against Suebi, Alans, and Vandals who crossed the frozen Rhine in 406 and overran Gaul. The remaining Roman troops in Britain, fearing that the invaders would cross the channel, elected a series of "emperors" of their own to lead the defence.

The first two such emperors were put to death by the dissatisfied soldiery in a matter of months, but the third, who would become Constantine III, led a British force across the English Channel to Gaul to fight the barbarians and, ultimately challenged the emperor, Honorius, himself. After scoring victories against the barbarians in Gaul, Constantine was defeated by an army loyal to Honorius and beheaded in 411.[7] Meanwhile, Constantine's departure had left Britain vulnerable to attacks from Saxon and Irish raiders. In a letter of 410 called the "Rescript of Honorius", the emperor refused to send help and instructed the cities of Britain to look to their own defence.[8]

From 410 on, militarily and administratively, Roman Britain was essentially an independent Romano-British state, or states, subject to incursions from Germanic North European tribes. After this time, Roman histories are quiet about events in Britain.[9] Writing in the next decade, Saint Jerome described Britain after 410 as a "province fertile of tyrants",[10] and in 452, a Gaulish chronicler was able to state that some ten years previously "the Britains, which to this time had suffered from various disasters and misfortunes, are reduced by the power of the Saxons".[11] The British cleric Gildas wrote De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain) sometime around 540, which contains an account of the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain, and of what he described as a long, recent war between Romano-British and Germanic peoples in the British Isles.[12]

By 560 the area now known as Hoxne was part of the Kingdom of East Anglia, one of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms that eventually merged to form England. The Romano-British culture, whose art we see in the Hoxne hoard, persisted farther west and gave rise to modern day Wales and Cornwall.

Discovery

The hoard was discovered by metal detectorist Eric Lawes in a field at Hoxne, Suffolk, England on 16 November 1992.

Because Lawes promptly reported the find, the treasure was excavated professionally, and is largely intact. The entire hoard was declared treasure trove, valued at £1,750,000 and purchased by the British Museum;[5] Lawes and the tenant farmer divided the money equally.[citation needed]

The hoard now is held at the British Museum, where several items, including the silver tigress, are on display. It was third in the list of British archaeological finds selected by experts at the British Museum for the 2003 BBC Television documentary Our Top Ten Treasures, which included archive footage of Lawes.[13]

Since the initial find, further Roman coins have been found in the same field and generally are deemed part of the same hoard.

Items discovered

The hoard is mainly made up of gold and silver coins and jewellery. Evidently, the hoard had been packed inside a wooden chest of approximately 60×45×30 cm. Within the chest, some items had been placed in wooden caskets, while others had been packed in woolen cloth or hay. Fragments of the chest and its fittings were recorded during the excavation.

Golden jewellery

Frontal view of a grey female bust with four gold bands of many fine links, two draped over the shoulders and two plunging from the breast bone sweeping below the breasts and going behind the back. The four converge between the breasts, where each band ends in a head which connects to a centrepiece, a purple gem surrounded by eight smaller sockets, four empty and four with red stones
Frontal view of a gold body chain with an Amethyst and four garnets; four other gems, thought to have been pearls, are missing.[17][18]

The golden jewellery contained in the Hoard includes one body-chain, six necklaces, three rings, and nineteen bracelets. The total weight of the gold jewels is about 1 kg,[19] and the average gold content of the golden jewellery is 91.5%, with the rest silver and copper.[20] (about 23 carat)

The most important golden item in the hoard is the body-chain, which consists of four finely-woven golden straps, attached by terminals in the shape of lions' heads to a jewelled mount at the front. The mount holds a large amethyst and four smaller garnets; four other stones, possibly pearls, are missing. At the back, the straps meet at a clasp, which is decorated with a gold solidus of Gratian (r. 373–383). Body-chains of this type appear in Roman artistic depictions, often adorning the goddess Venus or nymphs, and often in an erotically-charged context. However, they are also depicted worn by modestly-dressed, respectable ladies.[21]

Of the necklaces, one features lion-headed terminals, and another stylized dolphins. The other four are relatively plain. Normally, necklaces similar length to these would be worn in the Roman period with a pendant, but no pendants were found in the Hoard.[22] The three rings would originally have been set with gemstones, pieces of glass, or plaques, but these features were removed from the rings at some stage before they were buried. The rings are of dissimilar design, one with an oval bezel, one with a circular bezel, and one with a large oblong bezel.[23]

The 19 bracelets buried in the Hoard include a number of matched sets. There are three sets of four gold bracelets; one set have been decorated by corrugating the gold with lateral and transverse grooves, the other two sets bear pierced-work geometric designs. Another five bracelets bear hunting scenes; three have such designed executed in pierced-work while two more are Repoussé. One of the bracelets is the only golden item to carry an inscription, which reads "[Utere Felix Domina Juliane] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)" in Latin, meaning "Use this happily, Lady Juliane".[24]

Silver items

There are around 100 silver items in the Hoard. They include a unique silver tigress, used as a handle for a vase or amphora; four piperatoria or spice containers]; two cups or goblets, four bowls, and 98 silver spoons and ladles.

The piperatoria (or pepper-pots) include one vessel very finely modelled after a wealthy lady, which soon became known as the Empress Pepper Pot. In spite of the name, the image does not appear to be that of any Empress, or indeed any of the Roman goddesses. The other piperatoria in the hoard are modelled into a statue of Hercules and Antaeus, an ibex, and a hare and hound together. Each of the piperatoria has a mechanism in the base to rotate an internal disc, which controls the aperture of two holes in the base. When fully open, the containers could be filled using a funnel; when part-open they can be shaken over food or drink to add spices. While piperatoria is generally translated as 'pepper-pot', black pepper is only one of a number of high-status spices with which the vessels might have have been filled.

The large collection of spoons includes 51 cochlearia, which are small spoons with a long, tapering handle; 23 cigni, large spoons with shorter, bird-headed handles; and about 20 ladles and strainer-spoons. A set of spoons are inscribed with the name "Aurelius Ursicinus". Others are decorated, principally with dolphins, or mythical marine creatures.

The average purity of the silver items was 96%. The remainder is made up of copper and a small amount of zinc, with trace amounts of lead, gold, and bismuth present. The zinc is likely to have been present in a copper brass used to alloy the silver when the objects were made, and the lead, gold, and bismuth were most likely present in the unrefined silver ore.[25]

Coins

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Significance

The Hoxne Hoard is the largest collection of gold and silver coins of the fourth and fifth century found within the entire Roman Empire, however, other finds have included more gold coins. A hoard of 650 gold coins of similar dates is known to have been found at Eye, four miles from Hoxne, during the 1780s—leading to speculation that the two finds are related.[27] In addition to the scale of the find and the workmanship of many of the items in it, however, the Hoxne Hoard is of particular archaeological importance because the whole find was largely intact when excavated.[28] The existence of the 1996 Treasure Act is thought to have contributed to more hoards being made available to archaeologists. The Act changed the law so that the owner of the land and the person who finds the hoard have a strong stake in the value of the discovery.[29]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "The Juliana Bracelet from the Hoxne hoard". British Museum. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  2. ^ a b BBC History of the world in 100 objects, retrieved 17 June 2010.
  3. ^ a b The Hoxne Late Roman treasure C Johns and R Bland, retrieved 17 June 2010.
  4. ^ a b (Johns & Bland 1994, pp. 167–68).
  5. ^ a b Goodwin, Stephen (9 March 1996). "Plan to extend protection for buried treasure". The Independent. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  6. ^ (Snyder 1998, pp. 18, 269).
  7. ^ (Snyder 1998, pp. 19–22).
  8. ^ (Snyder 1998, pp. 24–25).
  9. ^ (Snyder 1998, p. 30).
  10. ^ (Snyder 1998, p. 98).
  11. ^ (Snyder 1998, p. 36).
  12. ^ (Snyder 1998, pp. 112–113).
  13. ^ "Top ten treasures announced". BBC News. 2 January 2003. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  14. ^ a b c (Johns & Bland 1994, p. 169).
  15. ^ (Johns & Bland 1994, p. 170).
  16. ^ a b (Johns & Bland 1994, p. 171).
  17. ^  T304 / Registration:1994,0408.1 .
  18. ^ The Hoxne Treasure an illustrated introduction page 20 Bland & Johns ISBN 0714123013 retrieved 18th June 2010 "four round cells which are now empty but which probably contained pearls. Pearls often decay during burial."
  19. ^ Johns 2010, p. 25.
  20. ^ Johns 2010, p. 182.
  21. ^ Johns 2010, p. 25–6.
  22. ^ Johns 2010, p. 30–32.
  23. ^ Johns 2010, p. 34.
  24. ^ Johns 2010, p. 42-53.
  25. ^ Johns 2010, p. 178.
  26. ^ British Museum display
  27. ^ (Johns & Bland 1994, p. 166).
  28. ^ (Johns & Bland 1994, p. 173).
  29. ^ Gilcrist, Andrew. "There's gold in them there hills". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 June 2010.

References

Further reading

  • Bland, Roger; Johns, Catherine (1993), The Hoxne treasure : an illustrated introduction, British Museum Press, ISBN 9780714123011
  • Guest, Peter S. W. (2005), The late Roman gold and silver coins from the Hoxne treasure, British Museum Press, ISBN 9780714118109
  • Potter, Timothy W. (1997), Roman Britain (2 ed.), British Museum Press, ISBN 9780714121185
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