Silver beyond Empire: Offering a new perspective on the late Roman to early medieval transition

Blackwell, Alice; Hunter, Fraser; Rau,, Andreas; Goldberg, Martin

Silver beyond Empire: Offering a new perspective on the late Roman to early medieval transition

Resource type

Magazine article

Creator (person)

Blackwell, Alice

Hunter, Fraser

Rau,, Andreas

Goldberg, Martin

Date published

April 2026

Abstract

During the 1st millennium AD, across Europe, power and prestige were expressed in two portable materials: silver and gold. These precious metals underpinned the emergence of early medieval kingdoms by providing the raw materials for objects that were used to create, contest, and reflect status within and between societies. Today, they also provide a key source of evidence for understanding reactions to the political vacuum created by the disintegration of the Roman Empire. Silver from this transitional period has formed the focus of 15 years of research at National Museums Scotland, working with the Leibniz-Zentrum fà¼r Archà¤ologie in Germany to establish an international research networ