The Salisbury Hoard

by I.M. Stead, Colin Renfrew (Foreword)

The Salisbury Hoard is the most remarkable hoard of prehistoric metalwork ever found in Britain, but knowledge of it was almost lost as artifacts were scattered by metal-detectorists, dealers, auction houses, and collectors. Thanks to the dogged persistence of I.M. Stead, well over half the hoard has now been recovered and acquired by the British Museum, where it will be displayed as one of the most important finds of the century. This book offers a history and guide of the hoard.

176 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1998

Reviews

[Harry Symington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was gripping start to finish. I WANT AND NEED more archaeology true crime books!

[Andrew Brozyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Metal detecting is a very popular pastime in Britain. For the most part, these hobbyists are considerate to the landowner and are helpful to archaeology. They bring their finds to the attention of local museums and split any earnings with the land owner. Objects of silver or gold are given up to the government. Sadly, there are also metal detectorists who are not so law-abiding. They are treasure hunters motivated only by the money their finds can bring them. In the 1980s a pair of ordinarily honest metal detectorists found a great hoard of Bronze Age and Iron Age objects. They gave in to temptation and sold the objects into antiquities trade. The artifacts were split up, sold and re-sold. If it were not for the work of Ian Stead, this collection and its history would be lost.

In 1988 Ian Stead was the Deputy Keeper in the Dept. of Prehistoric and Romano-British Antiquities at the British Museum. An antiquities dealer introduced him to a set of miniature bronze shields. They were authentic, yet unprovenanced. The British Museum bought them, but Stead was very curious about their origins. The Salisbury Hoard details the detective story that was his attempt to establish provenance and re-unite the scattered hoard.

Chapters 1-3 give an account of his hunt for the original finders of the hoard, tracking the find-site. Chapter 4 describes the British Museum’s excavation of the site, which confirmed the provenance of the treasure. Chapter 5 de-tangles the web of finders, dealers and collectors into which the hoard fell. Chapter 6 recounts the trial of the metal detectorists. 7 describes the Museum’s efforts to acquire the pieces. 8 explains the archaeological relevance of this hoard. Chapters 9 and 10 explain the value of provenance and the context in which archaeological objects are found. Various anecdotes are provided to illustrate.

An engaging read, Stead’s personal account guides us through a specific investigation to reach an understanding of the true value of artifacts. An object’s contribution to our understanding of the past far outweighs its intrinsic beauty.

[Michael Wills · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unusual mix of a detective story and a semi academic explanation of the archeology involved. It works reasonably well, and I found the book very readable.the photographs were very good and helpful in understanding the work.

[Leece · Rating 2 out of 5]

very complex !