The Hoxne Hoard: Britain’s Largest Roman Treasure Trove

October 10, 2024 by No Comments

The Hoxne Hoard is notable not just for its value, but also for its discovery.

The Hoxne Hoard is widely recognized as the largest collection of Roman treasure ever unearthed in Britain. It comprises a vast array of gold and silver coins, along with other artifacts such as tableware and jewelry.

The circumstances surrounding its discovery further enhance its uniqueness.

On November 16, 1992, Eric Lawes was searching a field in Hoxne village, Suffolk, not in pursuit of buried treasure, but simply seeking a lost hammer.

Lawes was scanning the area with his metal detector when he stumbled upon a portion of what would become the Hoxne Hoard.

After unearthing some silver spoons and gold coins, he promptly reported his find for proper excavation.

Lawes was awarded £1.75 million for his discovery, which he shared with the farmer who owned the land where the treasure was found, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.

The following day, the Suffolk County Council Archaeology Service (SCCAS) arrived at the site, as documented by the World History Encyclopedia.

The recovered portion of the Hoxne Hoard weighs approximately 60 pounds, according to Ancient Origins. The collection contains about 15,000 Roman coins, as per The British Museum, where many of the items are currently displayed. The items were buried in the 5th century A.D.

Among the other unique finds are pieces of jewelry, including a body chain, six necklaces, three finger rings, and gold bracelets, according to the source.

Despite the abundance of coins in the Hoxne Hoard, one of the most renowned treasures discovered was the “Empress” pepper pot. This pot was one of four excavated from the site, according to The British Museum. The pepper pot is intricately crafted in the form of a woman.

Furthermore, the hoard included numerous tableware items, such as a set of 19 well-preserved spoons decorated with marine motifs, according to The British Museum.

Archaeologists believe that the Hoxne Hoard was buried no later than 450 A.D., according to Ancient Origins.

At the end of the 4th century A.D., the Western Roman Empire was in a state of uncertainty, with Roman soldiers withdrawing from Britain, leaving the citizens to fend for themselves.

While experts have proposed various theories about the reason behind the hoard’s burial, a common suggestion is that it was done for protection, with the owners intending to retrieve their precious belongings later. In the case of the Hoxne Hoard, the items were never reclaimed by their owners.

Today, the Hoxne Hoard is on display at the The display features many of the coins, jewelry, and tableware, as well as Lawes’ hammer, which he was initially searching for when he stumbled upon the far more significant discovery.