Hoards: Hidden History
Resource type
Book
Creator (person)
Ghey, Eleanor
Date published
2015
Abstract
Every so often a remarkable discovery hits the headlines - often an account of treasure hunters striking lucky after years of searching the land, or perhaps a chance find made by a farmer after ploughing. With each new hoard comes a story, or a number of possible stories and unanswered questions. Who did it belong to? Why was it buried or lost and not recovered? This fascinating book investigates a broad selection of hoards that have come to light in recent times across the British Isles. Here are caches of prehistoric axes; pits filled with intricately wrought Iron Age torcs; pots of Roman coins; spectacular Anglo-Saxon military equipment; impressive Viking brooches; a jeweller's stock from seventeenth-century England; a sealed glass jar of gold sovereigns from World War II. The author looks at the variety of objects found and at the practice of hoarding itself. She also considers who the hoarders were and what might have compelled them - economic upheaval, war, or more complex social and ritual customs.
Project(s)
Crisis or continuity? Hoarding in Iron Age and Roman Britain
Funder
| Funder name | Awards |
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) | AH/K000438/1 |
Publisher
British Museum Press
Place of publication
London
Keywords