Kirjahaku

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.

In 2007 during an archaeological excavation in advance of a hotel development situated 150 metres from the Roman Baths in Bath, a Roman silver coin hoard was unearthed. This hoard was an exceptional find, not only because of its size – 17,500 coins in total – but also because of a number of unusual characteristics. Unlike other similar Roman hoards, the coins were discovered in a series of eight money bags – almost eight mini hoards in one – that are likely to have been deposited gradually over time. This small and beautifully illustrated book tells the story of this remarkable find, focussing on the discovery, scientific investigation, interpretation of the hoard, and the parallels and context in the Roman world.