Roman silver hoard found in scotland

[Imperial Dave]

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-40778533

Another very interesting discovery and one the lad will (ahem) trasure

[Patrick Waterson]

Good find, Dave.

I am wondering why everyone thinks it is Roman.  Hacking silverware into small pieces just does not seem Roman style: if anything, they woudl present intact items to the chief so he would have the choice of showing off to his subjects how sophisticated he had become or chopping them up to hand out to trusted followers (or hoard against a rainy day).

If you wanted to bribe your chief, coins are a better bet.  We may remember that the Romans found the Britons using coins (debased Philip II staters) when they arrived.  Britons knew what coins were.

Failing coinage, gifts of clothing or weaponry would seem more desirable and prestigious than cut-up metal; they can be shown off wherever Mr Chief goes and emphasise his status as someone of special significance.

Even if the chief prized irregular lumps of silver over weaponry, garments and coin of the realm, the silver mines of Britannia could provide big lumps of silver which a chief could then mutilate to his heart's content.

The date given is the late 3rd century AD, which presumably equates to Carausius' reign in Britannia or its immediate aftermath.  There was a brief spot of trouble while Constantius Chlorus was dealing with Allectus, and I would suggest that a guilty party may have fled with his master's silverware.  Whatever the new hoard owner's intention, the fact that the metal pieces all ended up in the same locale suggests that they had been stashed and were never collected.  This would seem consistent with someone burying a private hoard and for one reason or another not being able to collect it later.  It does not seem consistent with a consignment of sliver intended to bribe the locals; if distributed, this would now be untraceable and if not distributed, questions would have been asked leading to its recovery.

[Jim Webster]

yes, hack silver doesn't seem particularly Roman. Or at least not 'official' Roman

[Imperial Dave]

easier to pack though

[Erpingham]

Unfortunately, we have only a bbc story which focuses on the "human interest" angle.  One presumes that the various Romanists have a reason for the identification.  But, unless something was found with it to give a closer date, dating on the style of the silverware is only going to give a terminus post quem.  One interesting item is that, unlike most early medieval hacksilver hoards, this is just made up of pieces of four vessels of similar date.  It is unlikely to be working capital, or a career's looting, of some barbarian chieftain.  So something official, or the proceeds of a single raid, may be more plausible.  But it appears it was hidden before it was distributed or sent for recycling to the local jewellers.

[Tim]

I find myself agreeing with Patrick.

Had to happen sometime I suppose...

[Imperial Dave]

 

[Duncan Head]

Roman hacksilver is not uncommon in Scotland - http://www.pasthorizonspr.com/index.php/archives/12/2014/late-roman-and-pictish-hacksilver-hoard-found-in-aberdeenshire - and indeed elsewhere - https://finds.org.uk/counties/rutland/treasure-20-rutland-county-museum-roman-hacksilver-hoard/

It may have just been a way of turning big silver objects into loose change, I think.

[Patrick Waterson]

These buried groupings of chopped-up silver objects seem to be dated to the 5th century AD or thereabouts.  Perhaps they will feature in future Arthurian novels?

I still do not see Roman officials handing them around as bribes ...

[Imperial Dave]

portable loot seems most likely and we dont need another Arthur link Patrick.....lol