Thetford Hoard

The Thetford Hoard, or Thetford Treasure, is a hoard of Romano-British metalwork found at Gallows Hill, near Thetford in Norfolk, in November 1979. It is now in the British Museum.

 Contents 
Dating from the mid- to late 4th century AD, this hoard is a collection of:

 Thirty-three silver spoons
 Three silver strainers
 Twenty-two gold finger rings
 Four gold bracelets
 Four necklace pendants
 Five gold chain necklaces
 Two pairs of necklace clasps
 A gold amulet designed as a pendant
 An unmounted engraved gem
 Four beads (one made of emerald and three of glass)
 A gold belt buckle decorated with a dancing satyr
 A small cylindrical lidded box made from shale

 Discovery 
The find was made under unfortunate circumstances. The site had been recently cleared for building work. The person who found the hoard was using a metal detector without the knowledge or permission of the owners of the site. 

The discovery was made late on a November day, in failing light. The finder recovered the material in great haste, probably overlooking some small items, because he knew he had no legal right to search in that area. He did not, as the law requires, report his discovery to the authorities. Instead, he attempted to sell the objects he had found to private buyers.

By the time archaeologists learned of the find several months later, the place had been built over, which made proper archaeological investigation impossible. It was not even possible to question the finder about the circumstances: by the time the material arrived at the British Museum for study, he was terminally ill. He died about a month later, in July 1980.

There were persistent rumours that the treasure is incomplete and originally included coins. The standard catalogue gives a full account of the circumstances of the discovery.Johns, Catherine & Potter, Timothy 1983. The Thetford Treasure: Roman jewellery and silver. London: British Museum Press, 13–15. 

 References 

Category:Norfolk
Category:Archaeological sites in England
Category:Treasure troves