Fragmented metalwork hoards as a selective practice in Late Bronze Age north-western Europe

Abstract

• Hoards of fragmented metalwork are often seen as one of the defining practices of Late Bronze Age communities in Europe. Such hoards have attracted much attention with debates around how and why metalwork was broken and buried. Were hoards abandoned scrap? Or was there a ritual aspect? Although it is true that some regions have a high volume of fragmented metalwork hoards, such as the Boughton-Vénat tradition of south-eastern England and northern France, other regions of north-western Europe, such as the Netherlands and Ireland, are devoid of fragmented hoards. This highlights variability in hoarding traditions that is rarely considered. Instead of focusing solely on ‚why‘ hoards were buried, in this paper I will present an overview of hoarding across north-western Europe and highlight the regionality of this practice that is often overlooked. In particular, I will consider that the fragmentation and deposition of metalwork was a selective practice that varied across different areas at different times and involved deciding what should be broken and where it should be buried.