Hoards (Paperback)

Eleanor Ghey

ISBN 10: 0714118257 / ISBN 13: 9780714118253

Published by British Museum Press, London, 2015

About this Item

Paperback. 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. Investigates a broad selection of hoards that have come to light in recent times across the British Isles. 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. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780714118253

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Hoards (Paperback)
• Publisher: British Museum Press, London
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0714118257
• ISBN 13: 9780714118253
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

For centuries people have been hoarding their personal belongings and leaving; after they have gone; a wealth of splendid treasures and magnificent forgotten riches. Over the years; many have been drawn into the excitement of searching for these hidden treasures that might reveal lost histories of an individual; a family or a whole culture. Many of the rarest and most beautiful objects in museum collections today were once deliberately placed in the ground by their owners and never recovered until found by an archaeologist; metal detectorist or; in some cases; just an ordinary passer-by.

This book will investigate the most interesting and bountiful hoard discoveries as well as studying the practise of hoarding itself. Exploring the great variety of hoards all the way from Bronze-Age weapon deposits; Greek and Roman coin hoards; impressive Viking wealth; to gold sovereigns hidden in the twentieth century; this book will consider who was responsible for the hoarding; and why they might have been compelled to do so. These motivations may shed light on times of economic upheaval or reveal more complex social and ritual customs.

Illustrated with colour photographs that show the appearance of finds at the time of their discovery and the beauty of individual treasures contained within them such as rare coins and exquisite metalwork; this book is the ideal introduction for history enthusiasts or those with an insatiable curiosity for buried treasure.

About the Author

Dr Eleanor Ghey is Curator of Iron Age and Roman Coin Hoards at the British Museum, where she has been employed since 2007. She studied archaeology before training and working as a museum conservator until 2000. Her doctoral research was on Gallo-Roman temple sites and she has worked as a post-doctoral researcher on roundhouses in Wales and on the AHRC funded Iron Age and Roman coin hoards in Britain project (in collaboration with Leicester University). She has research interests in the Iron Age to Roman transition period and her current role involves recording coin hoards reported as Treasure under the Treasure Act 1996.