The Mildenhall Treasure (Objects in Focus)

The Mildenhall Treasure (Objects in Focus) Description

The Mildenhall Treasure (Objects in Focus)

• Every purchase supports the British Museum
• In 1942, while ploughing a field near Mildenhall in Suffolk, eastern England, Gordon Butcher stumbled upon a hoard of 34 silver objects that he turned over to his boss and owner of the land, Sydney Ford
• Dating back to Roman Britain, fourth century AD, and of outstanding artistic and technical quality, the hoard was declared a Treasure Trove in 1946
• A concise and accessible introduction to the Mildenhall Treasure, one of the most important collections of late-Roman silver tableware ever found, this book tells the captivating story of the treasure, beginning with the discovery and the respective roles of Butcher and Ford
• It explores the sixty- year-old mystery that surrounds the find and some of the 'conspiracy' theories that have been put forward

In 1942, while ploughing a field near Mildenhall in Suffolk, eastern England, Gordon Butcher stumbled upon a hoard of 34 silver objects that he turned over to his boss and owner of the land, Sydney Ford. Dating back to Roman Britain, fourth century AD, and of outstanding artistic and technical quality, the hoard was declared a Treasure Trove in 1946.

A concise and accessible introduction to the Mildenhall Treasure, one of the most important collections of late-Roman silver tableware ever found, this book tells the captivating story of the treasure, beginning with the discovery and the respective roles of Butcher and Ford. It explores the sixty- year-old mystery that surrounds the find and some of the 'conspiracy' theories that have been put forward.

This title provides a close look at the Mildenhall Treasure itself - how it was made; the nature of the fine decoration; the meaning of the classical imagery and Christian elements and the importance of the inscriptions, while also setting the treasure in the context of the late-Roman period, revealing who could have owned it, what it would have been used for and why it might have been buried.