The Cheste hoard () is an
Iberian hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
discovered near the town of
Cheste,
Valencia, Spain, in 1864. Dating to about 200 BCE, the hoard was found buried in two pots and contained gold jewellery, silver coins and silver ingots.
It is currently held in the
Valencia History Museum
Valencia History Museum ( ca, Museu d’Història de València, es, Museo de historia de Valencia — MhV) was inaugurated on May 7, 2003.
The mission of the Valencia History Museum is to educate visitors about the historical development of the ...
.
The jewellery consists of a necklace, three pendants and a
''fibula'' (brooch), all made from gold.
The fibula is of particular interest because it is decorated with a human head in the style of the
La Tène culture, associated with the
Celts, showing Celtic or
Celtiberian influence on the Iberian societies of the east coast of the peninsula.
The hoard also included forty eight silver coins, including twenty two of
Hispano-Punic origin, five
local Iberian coins, three from
Emporion, two from
Massilia, and one from
Rome.
The Hispano-Punic coins were some of the last issued by the
Barcids of
Carthage (including one depicting
Hannibal
Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...
),
whilst the Roman coin is an early ''
denarius.''
These imply the hoard was buried around the time of, or shortly after, the
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...
.
The diverse mix of coins found at Cheste and similar hoards may reflect Rome and Carthage's need for large amounts of coinage to pay
mercenaries
A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
, who often switched sides over the course of the war.
The silver ingots are
''hacksilber'': cut or melted pieces of silver that were used as
bullion
Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from t ...
and commonly found in Iberian hoards from this period. Unlike coinage, hacksilber was not controlled by the state, and could also be used in smaller transactions than the larger denomination coins in circulation. It was also used by silversmiths.
References
External links
{{commons category, Treasure of Cheste
Historia de Cheste Ayuntamiento de Cheste (in Spanish)
Archaeology of Spain
Treasure troves of Spain
Treasure troves of classical antiquity
Iberian art
1864 archaeological discoveries
Ancient art in metal
Hoards of jewellery