Hacking the Traprain Treasure

Abstract

• The Traprain Law Treasure1 has traditionally been viewed as a group of late Roman silver that met an unfortunate fate. Most vessels had been completely distorted, often by multiple hacking phases, with fittings removed, rims severed, footrings pushed out of position and sometimes even split lengthwise. Many had been crushed and bent, with some hammered flat and/or folded into packages; in a few cases, groups of objects had been crushed or folded together. 2