The Traprain Treasure
A late Roman silver hoard found in Scotland
During excavations in 1919 the archaeological team led by Alexander Curle (of Trimontium fame) unearthed a very large hoard of Roman silver.
Part of the Traprain treasure as displayed today.
In the main the silverware comprised the vestiges of late Roman silver tableware; dishes, flagons, bowls, goblets and spoons. Most had been cut up and much of that folded flat ready for melting in the crucible.
This was found within the large iron-age oppidium sized hillfort at Traprain Law near Haddington in the Lothians; Votadini tribal territory.
Picture of the imposing bulk of Traprain Law rising out of the fertile Lothian countryside.
Several coins -dating from Nero onwards- were also found during these and earlier excavations on the site.
A coin found in the latest occupation levels is dateable to the reign of the Emperor Arcadius (395-408 AD) and certainly assists in suggesting the likely latest years of the sites occupation.
Meanwhile coins in the hoard itself from Valens (364- 378 AD) and Honorius (395-423 AD-) indicate the era when these pieces were originally deposited; the closing years of Roman Britain.
What makes the find so remarkable is the size of the hoard, at the time the largest hoard of Roman silver found at a location outside the bounds of the empire (proper) and which by comparison often dwarves hoards such as the Mildenhall hoard (found in 1942 in Suffolk) located within the empire.
The hoard was found while the archaeologists dug down through several habitation layers – Traprain Law had a lengthy occupation which only seems to have finished soon after the construction of the final impressive defensive ramparts early in the 5th C.
Although the find was not at the highest (therefore latest) level, the pit which contained it clearly had been dug down through a late roundhouse floor.
The depth of the pit was governed by a large stone flag in an earlier lower occupation layer which appears to have frustrated any original attempt to make the pit any deeper.
When found the silverware had acquired a grey brown patina within a purplish crust caused by chemical reaction in the ground. Curle recalled the stink it gave off;
“it gave forth an offensive odour of sulphur from which it was not freed until it had been out of the soil for many weeks and, for the most part, subjected to treatment”.
The silverware was rapidly conserved and excellent efforts were made to piece back the bits of a fifteen hundred year old (and incomplete) jigsaw by Edinburgh silversmith William Brook.
The hoard comprised one hundred and sixty pieces and weighed 770 oz., “Troy weight”.
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The original 1923 image of the treasure as found.
Recent analysis of the silver by the National Museum of Scotland has confirmed that the silver has a very pure composition and is not debased.
The hoard is on display in the National Museum of Scotland, and while its display there is quite correctly a central attraction, the fact remains that the hoards very existence remains comparatively unheard of in Britain.
Further on account of metal value, gold hoards such as the recent Staffordshire Saxon gold hoard tend to hog centre stage.
This is unfortunate as without doubt the Traprain Law hoard easily rivals or surpasses these other hoards on account of what it tells us of the situation, and relations between Roman and native Votadini as Roman dominion in the southern half of Britain was breaking down.
Clearly the deposit, the requirement for strengthened ramparts and the abandonment of the site are fairly closely related chronologically.
The silver itself is usually satisfactorily explained as a bullion hoard; i.e. its worth in ancient times was in its intrinsic metal value, not as objects of classical aesthetic value.
Reconstructed flagon with scenes of holy writ decorating its body in high relief; in this case representations of Adam and Eve, the Adoration and Moses striking the rock. The parts belonging to ten separate distinct flagons were found.
As the objects had been put in a condition from which the base metal could be cast into new, valuable - but relevant - high status objects for the local Votadini elite then it seems plausible that the metal was the hoard of a local magnate and may have been in the keeping of the craftsman who would periodically cast the required objects.
It was simply sitting awaiting recycling.
Two questions come to mind, how did the Roman material come to be here and why did it end up being deposited, and to all intents lost?
Theories abound and rightly so.
Some suggest the hoard was loot brought home from raids over Hadrian’s Wall.
Others believe that the silver was a gratuity paid to the Votadini chiefs, the diplomatic currency of the day: ostensibly protection money.
This could be protection to prevent Votadini raids or on the converse to ensure Votadini alliance -a military bulwark to the ever weakening Romanised state to the south against all manner of land or sea bound raiders.
No one knows for sure, but we favour the latter.
Magnus Maximus had earlier made efforts in 383 AD to create buffer states in southern Scotland, probably with the intention of acting as bulwarks against Pictish and Scottic raids.
This is the start of the very period held by some that Hadrian’s Wall had become - if not actually abandoned – undermanned or nigh on redundant in its original role.
Indeed, growing evidence of the Germanicising evident at some forts along Hadrian’s by now antiquated barrier suggests that foreign forces – in this case German foederati operating under their tribal lords were imported and implanted to further stiffen the Roman line south of these buffer states in southern Scotland.
Throughout the sources the impression gleaned is that the Roman State in the south of Britain appears to have lost the “Will” to defend itself properly, and booty, either tribute or pay to others to fight for them was now the Roman modus operandi, not the grand armies of citizen soldiers of earlier eras.
A finely reconstructed shell shaped dish with central medallion decoration representing Nereid riding the waves on a sea monster. Up to fifty dishes and bowls (or their parts) were recovered.
It has been suggested that there may have been a break in occupation at Traprain Law during the Antonine occupation of the mid 2nd C, probably on account of more peaceful conditions prevailing for the first dozen to fifteen years at least before being reoccupied in the years following the Severan occupation in the early 3rd C.
Clearly its impressive defences and the sites imposing topography were appreciated by the Votadini who occupied other similarly powerful sites such as the sites of Edinburgh and probably Stirling castles, Yeavering Bell and Berwick Law.
Why occupation ended in the early 5th C is not at all clear, perhaps its central position with regards to ease of communications with the Roman super-state to the south was no longer relevant once Rome had abandoned southern Britain.
Excavations have brought to light no ready evidence to suggest that the fort at Traprain Law fell in war. The Votadini magnates may have simply relocated elsewhere – Edinburgh/ Din Eidyn- was certainly celebrated as their main stronghold in the early 7th C.
Edinburgh’s location some twenty miles to the north on the Forth may have had a much greater relevance to the political gravities of the era, the lands of the old Roman south could no longer hold the same relevance that they used to.
Fine selection of spoons. Nine spoons were found and the range of styles and handle forms is excellent.
We can speculate therefore that the hoard was lost during this period of transition. The location of a stash of the Votadini chief’s silver would certainly be kept fairly secret, its loss, or non retrieval may be nothing more sinister than knowledge of its keeping place being lost as the individuals pass away, and a new incoming tribal magnate may have had no knowledge of its existence.
Such is life!
Further excellent pictures are viewable on the Scottish National Collections web resource.
©2010 Roman Scotland. All Rights Reserved
First Published July 2010
