Roman silver transformed: Hacksilber, its nature, uses and effects

Abstract

• Of the various forms of precious metal in the Roman world, Hacksilber is perhaps the least glamorous. These cut and crushed fragments of silver have received much less attention than intact plate or coinage. Yet they can cast fresh light on the ways in which precious metal was used in and beyond the late Roman world. Drawing on a recent international project to republish the great Hacksilber hoard from Traprain Law in south-east Scotland, this paper will consider the nature of Hacksilber and the motivations for its creation. It will then turn to questions raised by the rather patchy distribution of Hacksilber across Europe, considering the ways in which precious metals were used in late Antiquity. Regional case-studies will explore how silver was perceived in different areas on the edge of the empire.