The Sutri Treasure is an important
Lombardic hoard found at
Sutri
Sutri (Latin ''Sutrium'') is an Ancient town, modern ''comune'' and former bishopric (now a Latin titular see) in the province of Viterbo, about from Rome and about south of Viterbo. It is picturesquely situated on a narrow tuff hill, surrounded ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
in the late nineteenth century that is currently in the collections of the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
.
Discovery
The rich grave group was found in 1878 near the town of Sutri in the
province of Viterbo
Viterbo ( it, provincia di Viterbo) is a province in the Lazio region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Viterbo.
Geography
Viterbo is the most northerly of the provinces of Lazio. It is bordered to the south by the Metropolitan City of Rome ...
in central
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. Dating to the 6th-7th centuries AD, the treasure was buried at a time of conflict between the
Kingdom of the Lombards
The Kingdom of the Lombards ( la, Regnum Langobardorum; it, Regno dei Longobardi; lmo, Regn di Lombard) also known as the Lombard Kingdom; later the Kingdom of (all) Italy ( la, Regnum totius Italiae), was an early medieval state established ...
and the
Eastern Roman Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...
. Nine years after its discovery, the hoard was purchased by the British Museum, where it resides to this day.
British Museum Collection
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Description
Given the large number of prestigious items in the treasure, it probably belonged to a noble lady of high rank from the Lombardic court. It includes a blue glass 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 ...
, two greenish-blue small amphoras
An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...
, a gilded fan-shaped silver brooch
A brooch (, also ) is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with g ...
, a gold and garnet encrusted S-shaped brooch, a simple gold cross and a pair of earrings with triple pendants. A number of other items (including a pin, beads, coins, another drinking horn and a third brooch) were not purchased by the museum at the time; their current whereabouts is unknown.
Gallery
Image:Arte longobarda, da sutri, bicchiere a forma di corno, fine VI-inizio VII sec.JPG, One of the two drinking horns from the treasure
Image:Arte longobarda, da sutri, due anfore di vetro, fine VI-inizio VII sec.JPG, Two small glass amphora that date from Roman times
Image:Arte longobarda, da sutri, fibbia, fine VI-inizio VII sec.JPG, The large Lombardic brooch with the terminal in the shape of an animal's head
Image:Arte longobarda, da sutri, crocetta funeraria d'oro, fine VI-inizio VII sec.JPG, Plain gold cross, which indicates that the person buried was Christian
Image:Arte longobarda, da sutri, paio di orecchini, fine VI-inizio VII sec.JPG, Pair of matching earrings with triple pendants
Image:Arte longobarda, da sutri, spilla a S, fine VI-inizio VII sec.JPG, S-shaped cloisonné
Cloisonné () is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects with colored material held in place or separated by metal strips or wire, normally of gold. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, but inlays of cut gemstones, ...
brooch with representations of eagles
See also
* Sutton Hoo
*Artres Treasure
The Artres Treasure is an important Merovingian hoard found at Artres, northern France in the nineteenth century. Most of the treasure is now in the collection of the British Museum in London.
Discovery
The rich grave group was found in 1855 un ...
*Domagnano Treasure
The Domagnano Treasure is an important Ostrogothic hoard found at Domagnano, Republic of San Marino in the late nineteenth century. The treasure is now divided among various institutions, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, although the bulk of the ho ...
References
{{Reflist, 2
Further reading
*S. Marzinzik, Masterpieces: Early Medieval Art (London, British Museum Press, 2013)
*T.W. Potter and A.C. King, Excavations at the Mola di Mon (British School at Rome London in association with the British Museum, 1997)
Medieval European objects in the British Museum
Medieval European metalwork objects
Treasure troves of Italy
Treasure troves of Medieval Europe
1878 archaeological discoveries
Italy–United Kingdom relations
Drinking horns