A context for the Treasure: Traprain Law and Rome's northern frontier

Abstract

• The discovery of the Traprain Treasure was the most dramatic moment in a spectacular and long-running excavation. While nothing else quite matched the excitement of this find, the results of work at Traprain Law redefined perspectives on the Scottish Iron Age and relations with the Roman world. This chapter will summarise our knowledge of the site, its role in the 4th and 5th centuries at the time of the Tresure, and its position in the wider politics between the Roman world and its northern neighbours, finishing with observations on the role of silver as opposed to gold in Scotland at the time.