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| Esquiline Treasure | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Part of the Esquiline Treasure as currently displayed in the British Museum | |
| Material | Silver |
| Created | 4th century AD |
| Present location | British Museum, London |
The Esquiline Treasure is an ancient Roman silver treasure that was found in 1793 on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. The hoard is considered an important example of late antique silver work from the 4th century AD, probably about 380 for the major pieces.[1] Since 1866, 57 objects, representing the great majority of the treasure, have been in the British Museum.[2]
Two of the most important objects in the treasure are the ornate silver-gilt engraved boxes known as the Projecta Casket and the Muse Casket. The treasure was part of the belongings of a wealthy Roman household of high social status, which can probably be identified. The collection includes 8 plates (4 circular and 4 rectangular), a fluted dish, a ewer inscribed for "Pelegrina", a flask with embossed scenes, an amphora, 6 sets of horse trappings, with furniture fittings including 4 Tyche figures representing the 4 main cities of the Roman Empire: Rome, Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria, two hands clenching bannisters, and an assortment of jewellery.[3]
Although a number of large late Roman hoards have been discovered, most are from the fringes of the empire (such as Roman Britain), and very few objects from the period can be presumed to have been made by silversmiths in Rome itself, giving the Esquiline Treasure a "special significance".[4] This major hoard is displayed in room 41 of the British Museum alongside the Carthage Treasure and near the British finds of the Mildenhall Treasure, Hoxne Hoard, Water Newton Treasure and the Corbridge Lanx. It has been observed that the majority of the major surviving late Roman silver hoards are in the British Museum.[5]
- ^ Projecta; Cameron argues for about this date for the Projecta pieces, throughout; Shelton argues for "about 330–370", in Shelton (1985), 147
- ^ British Museum Collection
- ^ Kent and Painter, 44; Projecta and other BM pages; see External links for how to reach these
- ^ Kent and Painter, 18–19, 44 quoted
- ^ Kent and Painter, 9; at the start of his "Late-Roman silver plate: a reply to Alan Cameron" in the Journal of Roman Archaeology 6, 1993, Kenneth Painter lists (before the discovery of the Sevso Treasure, which he implies should join the list) "the 5 surviving major hoards" of late Roman silver, of which four (Esquiline, Carthage, Mildenhall and the earlier Chaourse) are in the British Museum. The other was the Kaiseraugst Treasure in Augst, Switzerland, PDF