Research at the RGZM

Main researches

Hoard Finds in Pre- and Early History

In addition to grave finds, hoards as autonomous finds represent an extremely important category of finds. Unlike graves, there can be a large number of different reasons for hoards, ranging from the sacral to the mundane. Two of the most important types of hoards are offerings to deities and the deliberate burial of objects in emergency situations. This research examines both variants on the basis of case studies. For the prehistoric periods, the focus is on hoards of weapons, regarded as offerings rather than as the deliberate burial of objects for later recovery. The case studies are taken from an area ranging from the Middle East to Central Europe and date from the 13th century BC to the 1st century BC. In the early Medieval Period, hoards buried with the intention of later recovery include some extremely valuable treasures. The Treasure of Nagyszentmiklos (Rom. Sannicolau Mare) is an exceptional example of its kind and includes gold objects featuring particularly high-quality craftsmanship.

Projekte im Forschungsschwerpunkt

 

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Abteilung Vorgeschichte
Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum
Ernst Ludwig Platz 2
55116 Mainz

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