Theme:
The archaeology of material culture, bodies and landscapes
Session format:
Session, made up of a combination of papers, max. 15 minutes each
Title:
Silver, status and society - transition from late Roman to Early Medieval Europe
Content:
Power and prestige in the first millennium AD is predominately expressed in two portable materials: silver and gold. There are fundamental differences in their use: in parts of post-Roman Europe, for instance in Scotland, silver was the single most important precious material; elsewhere it was used alongside gold. In Scotland, silver first arrived with the Roman army and rapidly became adopted for local power symbols. Understanding the access, use and attitudes towards this new material are vital in understanding the transition from late Roman Iron Age to Early Medieval society. New directions and priorities for the study of silver in first millennium AD Britain have emerged in the last few years. Work on Scottish late–post Roman silver hoards has highlighted in particular the need to connect with those working on comparable material elsewhere in northern Europe. This session will review findings of a UK Arts & Humanities Research Council-funded network that was founded in 2016 to create connections between scholars working on silver across northern Europe in the first millennium AD. This session will focus particularly on the role of silver in the transition from late Roman to early medieval Europe.
Keywords:
Silver, artefacts, Roman, Early Medieval
Session associated with MERC:
yes
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Main organiser:
Martin Goldberg (United Kingdom) 1
Co-organisers:
Dr Andreas Rau (Germany) 2
Affiliations:
1. National Museums Scotland
2. Stiftung Schleswig-Holsteinische Landesmuseen Schloss Gottorf
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