Roman silver transformed: Hacksilber, its nature, uses and effects
Resource type
Conference paper (unpublished)
Creator (person)
Hunter, Fraser
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.
Event title
Light and Splendour: precious metal as a medium of ritual and social interaction in Late Antiquity
Publisher
University of Basel
Place of publication
Basel, Switzerland
Rights statement
In Copyright