The Hoby treasure is the
grave goods
Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.
They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods. Grave goods may be classed as a ...
from a
Roman Iron Age
The archaeology of Northern Europe studies the prehistory of Scandinavia and the adjacent North European Plain,
roughly corresponding to the territories of modern Sweden, Norway, Denmark, northern Germany, Poland and the Netherlands.
The regi ...
grave at Hoby on the island of
Lolland
Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitant ...
in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
. It was discovered in 1920 during the digging of a drain and excavated by archaeologists from the
National Museum of Denmark
The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) in Copenhagen is Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main building is located a short distance from Strøget ...
. The most famous part of the treasure is two Roman drinking cups with scenes from the ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...
''.
Discovery and description
The grave was discovered in 1920 at Hoby on the Danish island of Lolland. It is assumed to be the grave of a chieftain and contained the remains of a middle-aged man buried in the first century AD. Analysis of several teeth found with the remains indicates that the man was native to the area, and aged around 25-35 at death.
Along with the body was a rich amount of both indigenous and imported Roman goods. The objects were handed over to the National Museum of Denmark.
The most famous goods are a Roman table service, made in Italy around the beginning of the Common Era. It consists of a washing dish, a wine bucket with a scoop, a jug, tray and two drinking cups.
The drinking cups stand out as the most famous part of the set. They weigh around one kilo each, are made of silver and show scenes from the ''
Iliad
The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...
'' by
Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
.
They are signed by the craftsman Cheirisophos and have engravings with the name Silius, who is assumed to be the original Roman owner of the objects.
The other objects discovered in the grave are another silver cup with bronze handle, the bronze mountings from a missing
drinking horn
A drinking horn is the horn of a bovid used as a drinking vessel. Drinking horns are known from Classical Antiquity, especially the Balkans, and remained in use for ceremonial purposes throughout the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period in ...
, a bronze knife, a bone pin, a casket made of wood, sheets of bronze and iron, a belt buckle, two gold rings, seven
fibulae
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
, three pottery vessels, and two hams.
Significance
The find is regarded as an example of an
early Germanic prestige burial. It is significant for its attestation of
interaction between Germanic and Roman culture. The tableware has been interpreted as part of an attempt by a local elite to manifest high status by imitating Roman drinking customs. The archeologist Knud Friis Johansen has written that their presence at the site might have resulted from a conscious Roman attempt to influence Germanic elites. The Silius whose name is on the cups might have been the commandant
Gaius Silius
Gaius Silius (died AD 24) was a Roman senator who achieved successes as a general over German barbarians following the disaster of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. For this achievement he was appointed consul in AD 13 with Lucius Munatius Pla ...
, who was posted to
Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
in 14–21 AD. The cups could have been a direct or indirect gift from Gaius Silius to the man buried in the grave, although this cannot be proved.
The site was excavated again in 2012. This was done as part of a project aimed at studying the pre-Christian religion. In addition to Hoby, the project involved excavations at Toftegård and
Tissø on
Zealand
Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020.
It is the 1 ...
, and
Gudme
Gudme is a town in central Denmark with a population of 907 (1 January 2022), located in Svendborg municipality on the island of Funen in Region of Southern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was the site of the municipal council of the now form ...
on
Funen
Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as of ...
.
In 2016, areas to the south and east were investigated on suspicion of other graves being present, but none were found at that time.
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
* {{Commons category-inline, Hoby treasure
Information from the National Museum of Denmark
Archaeological discoveries in Denmark
Germanic archaeological artifacts
Roman Empire art
Works based on the Iliad
Silver objects
Collection of the National Museum of Denmark
1920 archaeological discoveries