Thetford Hoard

Thetford Hoard
22 finger rings from the Thetford Hoard
Material	gold, silver, gems, shale
Size	33 silver spoons 3 silver strainers 22 gold finger rings 4 gold bracelets 4 necklace pendants 5 gold chain necklaces 2 pairs of necklace-clasps 1 gold amulet 1 unmounted engraved gem 1 emerald bead 3 glass beads 1 gold belt-buckle 1 shale cylindrical box
Period/culture	Romano-British
Discovered	Gallows Hill, near Thetford, Norfolk, November 1979
Present location	British Museum
Identification	P&E 1981 0201 1-83

The Thetford Hoard, or Thetford Treasure, is a hoard of Romano-British metalwork found at Gallows Hill, near Thetford in Norfolk, in November 1979. It is now in the British Museum.

Contents

Dating from the mid- to late 4th century AD, this hoard is a collection of:

• Thirty-three silver spoons
• Three silver strainers
• Twenty-two gold finger rings
• Four gold bracelets
• Four necklace pendants
• Five gold chain necklaces
• Two pairs of necklace clasps
• A gold amulet designed as a pendant
• An unmounted engraved gem
• Four beads (one made of emerald and three of glass)
• A gold belt buckle decorated with a dancing satyr
• A small cylindrical lidded box made from shale

Discovery

The find was made under unfortunate circumstances. The site had been recently cleared for building work. The person who found the hoard was using a metal detector without the knowledge or permission of the owners of the site.

The discovery was made late on a November day, in failing light. The finder recovered the material in great haste, probably overlooking some small items, because he knew he had no legal right to search in that area. He did not, as the law requires, report his discovery to the authorities. Instead, he attempted to sell the objects he had found to private buyers.

By the time archaeologists learned of the find several months later, the place had been built over, which made proper archaeological investigation impossible. It was not even possible to question the finder about the circumstances: by the time the material arrived at the British Museum for study, he was terminally ill. He died about a month later, in July 1980.

There were persistent rumours that the treasure is incomplete and originally included coins. The standard catalogue gives a full account of the circumstances of the discovery.