This article is about collections of objects. For the behavior, see hoarding. For other uses, see Hoard (disambiguation).
A hoard or "wealth deposit"[1] is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder; hoarders sometimes died or were unable to return for other reasons (forgetfulness or physical displacement from its location) before retrieving the hoard, and these surviving hoards might then be uncovered much later by metal detector hobbyists, members of the public, and archaeologists.
A hoard of silver coins, the latest about 1700 (British Museum).
Hoards provide a useful method of providing dates for artifacts through association as they can usually be assumed to be contemporary (or at least assembled during a decade or two), and therefore used in creating chronologies. Hoards can also be considered an indicator of the relative degree of unrest in ancient societies. Thus conditions in 5th and 6th century Britain spurred the burial of hoards, of which the most famous are the Hoxne Hoard, Suffolk; the Mildenhall Treasure, the Fishpool Hoard, Nottinghamshire, the Water Newton hoard, Cambridgeshire, and the Cuerdale Hoard, Lancashire, all preserved in the British Museum.
Prudence Harper of the Metropolitan Museum of Art voiced some practical reservations about hoards at the time of the Soviet exhibition of Scythian gold in New York City in 1975. Writing of the so-called "Maikop treasure" (acquired from three separate sources by three museums early in the twentieth century, the Berliner Museen, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and the Metropolitan Museum, New York), Harper warned:
By the time "hoards" or "treasures" reach museums from the antiquities market, it often happens that miscellaneous objects varying in date and style have become attached to the original group.[2]
Such "dealer's hoards" can be highly misleading, but better understanding of archaeology amongst collectors, museums and the general public is gradually making them less common and more easily identified.
The examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this section, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new section, as appropriate.(November 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
This section relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Hoard" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR(November 2023)
Treasure of Villena, 1000 BC, the biggest prehistoric gold hoard in Western Europe. Discovered in 1963.
A founder's hoard contains broken or unfit metal objects, ingots, casting waste, and often complete objects, in a finished state. These were probably buried with the intention to be recovered at a later time.
A merchant's hoard is a collection of various functional items which, it is conjectured, were buried by a traveling merchant for safety, with the intention of later retrieval.
A personal hoard is a collection of personal objects buried for safety in times of unrest.
A hoard of loot is a buried collection of spoils from raiding and is more in keeping with the popular idea of "buried treasure".
Votive hoards are different from the above in that they are often taken to represent permanent abandonment, in the form of purposeful deposition of items, either all at once or over time for ritual purposes, without intent to recover them. Furthermore, votive hoards need not be "manufactured" goods, but can include organic amulets and animal remains. Votive hoards are often distinguished from more functional deposits by the nature of the goods themselves (from animal bones to diminutive artifacts), the places buried (being often associated with watery places, burial mounds and boundaries), and the treatment of the deposit (careful or haphazard placement and whether ritually destroyed/broken).
Valuables dedicated to the use of a deity (and thus classifiable as "votive") were not always permanently abandoned. Valuable objects given to a temple or church become the property of that institution, and may be used to its benefit.[3]
^From the Lands of the Scythians; special edition of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin xxxii no. 5, 1975.
^C. Johns, "The classification and interpretation of Romano-British treasures", Britannia 27 (1996), 1–17: see especially pp. 9–11
February 16, 2024
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Not to be confused with Horde disambiguation This article is about collections of objects For the behavior see hoarding For other uses see Hoard disambiguation A hoard or wealth deposit 1 is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts sometimes purposely buried in the ground in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache This would usually be with the intention of later recovery by the hoarder hoarders sometimes died or were unable to return for other reasons forgetfulness or physical displacement from its location before retrieving the hoard and these surviving hoards might then be uncovered much later by metal detector hobbyists members of the public and archaeologists A hoard of silver coins the latest about 1700 British Museum Hoards provide a useful method of providing dates for artifacts through association as they can usually be assumed to be contemporary or at least assembled during a decade or two and therefore used in creating chronologies Hoards can also be considered an indicator of the relative degree of unrest in ancient societies Thus conditions in 5th and 6th century Britain spurred the burial of hoards of which the most famous are the Hoxne Hoard Suffolk the Mildenhall Treasure the Fishpool Hoard Nottinghamshire the Water Newton hoard Cambridgeshire and the Cuerdale Hoard Lancashire all preserved in the British Museum Prudence Harper of the Metropolitan Museum of Art voiced some practical reservations about hoards at the time of the Soviet exhibition of Scythian gold in New York City in 1975 Writing of the so called Maikop treasure acquired from three separate sources by three museums early in the twentieth century the Berliner Museen the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Metropolitan Museum New York Harper warned By the time hoards or treasures reach museums from the antiquities market it often happens that miscellaneous objects varying in date and style have become attached to the original group 2 Such dealer s hoards can be highly misleading but better understanding of archaeology amongst collectors museums and the general public is gradually making them less common and more easily identified Contents 1 Classification 2 Hoards with individual articles 2 1 Asia 2 2 Europe 2 2 1 Great Britain and the Channel Islands 2 2 2 Ireland 2 2 3 Continental 2 2 4 Scandinavia 2 3 North Africa and Middle East 2 4 North America 3 See also 4 ReferencesClassification editThe examples and perspective in this section deal primarily with United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject You may improve this section discuss the issue on the talk page or create a new section as appropriate November 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message This section relies largely or entirely on a single source Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources Find sources Hoard news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2023 nbsp Treasure of Villena 1000 BC the biggest prehistoric gold hoard in Western Europe Discovered in 1963 Hoards may be of precious metals coinage tools or less commonly pottery or glass vessels There are various classifications depending on the nature of the hoard A founder s hoard contains broken or unfit metal objects ingots casting waste and often complete objects in a finished state These were probably buried with the intention to be recovered at a later time A merchant s hoard is a collection of various functional items which it is conjectured were buried by a traveling merchant for safety with the intention of later retrieval A personal hoard is a collection of personal objects buried for safety in times of unrest A hoard of loot is a buried collection of spoils from raiding and is more in keeping with the popular idea of buried treasure Votive hoards are different from the above in that they are often taken to represent permanent abandonment in the form of purposeful deposition of items either all at once or over time for ritual purposes without intent to recover them Furthermore votive hoards need not be manufactured goods but can include organic amulets and animal remains Votive hoards are often distinguished from more functional deposits by the nature of the goods themselves from animal bones to diminutive artifacts the places buried being often associated with watery places burial mounds and boundaries and the treatment of the deposit careful or haphazard placement and whether ritually destroyed broken Valuables dedicated to the use of a deity and thus classifiable as votive were not always permanently abandoned Valuable objects given to a temple or church become the property of that institution and may be used to its benefit 3 Hoards with individual articles editAsia edit Akota Bronzes Bactrian Gold Chausa hoard Copper Hoard Culture Kfar Monash Hoard Priam s Treasure Wonoboyo hoard Ziwiye hoardEurope edit Great Britain and the Channel Islands edit Beau Street Hoard Bitterley Hoard Canterbury St Martin s hoard Cheapside Hoard Collette Hoard Corbridge Hoard Cuerdale Hoard Cunetio Hoard Frome Hoard Galloway Hoard Grouville Hoard Havering hoard Hexham Hoard Hoxne Hoard Isleham Hoard Kirkoswald Hoard Lenborough Hoard Leominster hoard Middleham Hoard Migdale Hoard Mildenhall Treasure Milton Keynes Hoard Rogiet Hoard Shapwick Hoard Shrewsbury Hoard Silsden Hoard Snettisham Hoard St Leonard s Place Hoard Staffordshire Hoard Stanchester Hoard Stirling Hoard Talnotrie Hoard Thetford Hoard Thornbury Hoard Tregwynt Hoard Upchurch Hoard Vale of York Hoard previously known as Harrogate hoard Water Newton Treasure West Bagborough Hoard West Yorkshire Hoard Wickham Market Hoard Winchester Hoard Wold Newton hoard Ireland edit Ardagh Hoard Broighter Hoard Derrynaflan Hoard Dowris Hoard Mooghaun North HoardContinental edit Lampsacus Treasure Turkey First Cyprus Treasure Cyprus Berthouville Treasure France relating to the Romans Borovo Treasure part of the Thracian treasure Broighter Gold Northern Ireland relating to the Iron Age La Tene culture Casco de Leiro Spain relating to the Bronze Age Chatuzange Treasure France relating to Roman silver Cheste hoard Spain relating to the Second Punic War Eberswalde Hoard Germany relating to the Bronze Age House of the Vestals Hoards Rome Italy end of Roman Empire and 10th century Italy Paramythia Hoard Greece relating to Greco Roman artefacts Pereshchepina Treasure Ukraine relating to the Bulgars Pietroasele Treasure Romania relating to the Goths Preslav Treasure Bulgaria relating to the Byzantines Reka Devnia Hoard Bulgaria relating to the Romans Saka Hoard Estonia 12th century Sevso Treasure possibly Hungary relating to the Romans Treasure of El Carambolo Spain relating to the Tartessians Treasure of Gourdon France gold from 5th or 6th century Treasure of Guarrazar Spain relating to the Visigoths Treasure of Villena Spain relating to the Bronze Age Ubina Hoard Estonia 12th century Vinkovci Treasure Scandinavia edit Molnby Hoard Sweden relating to the Viking age Sandur Hoard Faroe Islands relating to the Viking age Spillings Hoard Sweden relating to the Viking age Sundveda Hoard Sweden relating to the Viking age North Africa and Middle East edit Asyut Treasure Megiddo Treasure a hoard found at Tel Megiddo Israel Nahal Mishmar hoard Kaper Koraon Treasure SyriaNorth America edit Main article List of hoards in North America Baltimore gold hoard Bank of New York Hoard Castine Hoard Great Kentucky Hoard Saddle Ridge Hoard Dawson Film FindSee also edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hoards Lagerstatte a concentration of fossils useful for similar reasons in paleontology List of hoards in Britain List of hoards in Ireland List of missing treasure Hacksilver Treasure Treasure troveReferences edit Oras Ester 2012 Importance of terms What is a wealth deposit Papers from the Institute of Archaeology 22 61 82 doi 10 5334 pia 403 From the Lands of the Scythians special edition of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin xxxii no 5 1975 C Johns The classification and interpretation of Romano British treasures Britannia 27 1996 1 17 see especially pp 9 11 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hoard amp oldid 1195830736, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
