Silver Plate

The hoard of silver plate known as the Vinkovci treasure (or the Cibalae treasure, after the Roman name for the town) was discovered on March 23, 2012, during rescue excavations in the town of Vinkovci (Colonia Aurelia Cibalae) in the Vukovar-Srijem county of E Croatia (fig. 1). It is one of the most significant late Roman discoveries of the new millennium, and the first major 4th-c. A.D. assemblage of silver plate to be unearthed for at least half a century (the Seuso treasure was probably found in the late 1970s, and although new pieces of the Kaiseraugst treasure emerged in the 1990s the original discovery was made in 1961). This interim report on the treasure is based upon the results of research conducted by the authors in the 4 years that have passed since it came to light.

De l’époque hellénistique jusqu’au VIIIe s., les pièces d’argenterie conservées provenant d’Asie centrale sont en nombre suffisamment important pour donner une prise raisonnable à la réflexion. Dans des cultures où elles jouissent par leur matériau d’une estime particulière, elles constituent des témoins privilégiés des goûts d’une clientèle aristocratique. Directe ou indirecte, l’influence du monde méditerranéen y demeure forte : on peut considérer effectivement  que la Grèce est bien présente par leur intermédiaire dans les profondeurs de l'Asie.

The hoard of silver plate known as the Vinkovci treasure (or the Cibalae treasure, after the Roman name for the town) was discovered on March 23, 2012, during rescue excavations in the town of Vinkovci (Colonia Aurelia Cibalae) in the Vukovar-Srijem county of E Croatia (fig. 1). It is one of the most significant late Roman discoveries of the new millennium, and the first major 4th-c. A.D. assemblage of silver plate to be unearthed for at least half a century (the Seuso treasure was probably found in the late 1970s, and although new pieces of the Kaiseraugst treasure emerged in the 1990s the original discovery was made in 1961). This interim report on the treasure is based upon the results of research conducted by the authors in the 4 years that have passed since it came to light.

This monograph examines the deposition of precious metal artefacts in the late Roman and early Byzantine periods (from c. AD 200 to AD 700) within and beyond the frontiers of the Roman Empire and its successor states. The primary foci of the study are the size, date range and spatial distribution of these finds, with less emphasis on specific aspects of artefacts themselves and the specific contexts in which individual deposits were found. The immense chronological and regional scope allows broad changes in deposition patterns to be presented and examined. And a variety of possible interpretations of these patterns are offered in the final chapter.

The hoard of silver plate known as the Vinkovci treasure (or the Cibalae treasure, after the Roman name for the town) was discovered on March 23, 2012, during rescue excavations in the town of Vinkovci (Colonia Aurelia Cibalae) in the Vukovar-Srijem county of E Croatia (fig. 1). It is one of the most significant late Roman discoveries of the new millennium, and the first major 4th-c. A.D. assemblage of silver plate to be unearthed for at least half a century (the Seuso treasure was probably found in the late 1970s, and although new pieces of the Kaiseraugst treasure emerged in the 1990s the original discovery was made in 1961). This interim report on the treasure is based upon the results of research conducted by the authors in the 4 years that have passed since it came to light.

Discovered in Suffolk during the Second World War, the Mildenhall Treasure is one of the most spectacular collections of late Roman silver tableware from the Roman Empire. This book offers a comprehensive study of the 28 pieces of the Mildenhall treasure in the British Museum, the majority of which was crafted in the fourth century AD. The catalogue section provides an in-depth study of the form, decoration and mythological themes of the individual pieces, as well as discussing the parallels with other items of silver plate known from the period. Supplementary essays provide further background to the discovery of the treasure and place it within a wider archaeological and art-historical context. The book also features new scientific analyses of the contents of the treasure and discusses the inscriptions found on individual objects.

A link to a PDF of the publication can be found here:

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20190801105206/https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/publications/research_publications_series.aspx#AllResearchPublications