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E-book The Watlington Hoard : Coinage, Kings and the Viking Great Army in Oxfordshire, AD875–880

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Penilaian

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The hoard that forms the focus for this book was discovered on farmland in the vicinity of the small Oxfordshire town of Watlington in October 2015. It consists of 203 coins, most of which were issued by the early-medieval kingdoms of Wessex and Mercia in the late 870s, and silver ingots and metalwork — some in the form of fragmented hack-silver and a single piece of hack-gold. The metalwork and ingots provide connections to Scandinavia and the Vikings, while the coin-dating points to a formative period in the late 9th century when the Viking Great Army was raiding across Wessex and finally faced defeat against Alfred the Great in 878 at the Battle of Edington (Wiltshire). It is undoubtedly a highly significant find, not least because it is the first such hoard from the Upper Thames Valley, and its value reaches far beyond Oxfordshire and the 9th century.This volume has drawn together specialist chapters with the aim of presenting the contents of the hoard and its economic and political significance, as well as the hoard’s more recent history which includes its discovery, conservation and use in public engagement. While the former topics are typical for a research publication the latter highlights that the Watlington Hoard is not only an ancient artefact but also has its own modern history, which is too-often part of the story that does not reach the pages of scholarly publications. The hoard was discovered by a metal-detectorist and was processed through the Treasure Act 1996; but the existing relationship between the finder, James Mather, and archaeologists in the Ashmolean Museum and the Portable Antiquities Scheme was important in the process of reporting, understanding the findspots of the disturbed hoard, and the final excavation. This is just one of the many links that has been built up between responsible metal-detectorists and archaeologists since the Portable Antiquities Scheme started recording finds in 1997. The experience of James Mather is important here as is the discussion of the archaeological methods employed to excavate and lift an in-situ hoard, as presented by Mather and Corke (Chapter 2, sections 2.1 and 2.2). The conservation work undertaken at two institutions (the British Museum and Ashmolean Museum) as part of the remit of the Treasure Act 1996 and after its acquisition by the Ashmolean, is described by Pierce and Baldwin in Chapter 2, sections 2.3 and 2.4, and highlights the careful and varied behind-the-scenes work which is undertaken away from the spotlight in all museums. The modern context of the Watlington Hoard also includes its role in museum displays and how such finds can be used in outreach. The success of this work is an indication of the ability of archaeological discoveries and subsequent research into life, identity and power of the past to continue to captivate the enthusiasm of the public, and is an aspect that we wish to promote in Chapter 2, section 2.5 (Standley with Ward).

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

737.4 NAY t

Penerbit

London : Archaeopress Publishing., 2022

Deskripsi Fisik

258 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9781789698305

Klasifikasi

737.4

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

-

Subjek

Coins

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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