Over thousands of years, people have hidden their most precious possessions in the ground, only for them to be found by chance centuries, or even millennia, later. In these beautifully illustrated weekly lectures, we'll explore some of the most exceptional hoards ever discovered, from the 5th millennium BC to the age of the Stuart kings. Our journey takes us across the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, Rome and the British Isles, from the Nahal Mishmar cave treasure and the Oxus Treasure to Britain's Hoxne, Snettisham and Cheapside hoards. We'll ask why people buried their treasures, what was happening in their world at the time, and how and by whom they were found. We'll marvel at gold, silver, coins, jewellery and manuscripts made with extraordinary skill, and discover the ancient techniques behind them. We'll also look at the drama that can follow a discovery: politics, crime, legal battles, conservation and display in the world's great museums.

Join fellow history lovers for a relaxed, friendly journey where every question is welcome. Leave knowing where to see these treasures for yourself, with a few mysteries still to ponder.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face to face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Week 1: Introduction to treasure hoards and early discoveries, including the Nahal Mishmar, Priam, and Aegina treasures.
• Week 2: Bronze Age and ancient hoards from the Mediterranean and Near East, including the Arkalochori, Oxus, and Strategoi treasures.
• Week 3: Treasures of the Roman world, from Herculaneum and Pompeii to major silver and luxury hoards across the Empire.
• Week 4: Britain and Ireland’s greatest hoards, including Hoxne, Mildenhall, Snettisham, and Cheapside.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Have an understanding of the definition and some of the different types of hoards and treasure troves that have survived and how their discovery has enriched our understanding of history 
• Gain insight into why people might be driven to bury or otherwise dispose of valuable items and how some ancient societies viewed hoarding treasure.
• Will have an overview of the cultures which produced and deposited the hoards and an insight into how the artefacts were made, where the materials came from and how they were discovered and conserved
• Will know which museums they can visit to see the artefacts featured in this course