The Lampsacus Treasure or ''Lapseki Treasure'' is the name of an important early
Byzantine silver hoard found near the town of
Lapseki (ancient
Lampsacus) in modern-day Turkey. Most of the hoard is now in the
British Museum's collection, although a few items can be found in museums in
Paris and
Istanbul too.
British Museum Collection
/ref>
Discovery
The Lampsacus Treasure was accidentally found in 1847 by farmers digging in a field near the village of Lapseki (ancient Lampsacus) in north-west Turkey. Dating to 6th and 7th centuries AD, the hoard of largely silver objects provides a significant catalogue of design and fashion from the early Byzantine period. Soon after its discovery, the bulk of the treasure came into the possession of Henry Richard Charles Wellesley, Earl of Cowley, who donated it to the British Museum in 1848. Two other institutions also have objects from the treasure: the Istanbul Archaeological Museum
The Istanbul Archaeology Museums ( tr, ) are a group of three archaeological museums located in the Eminönü quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, near Gülhane Park and Topkapı Palace.
The Istanbul Archaeology Museums consists of three museums:
#Arch ...
possess two bowls; the Louvre a further two spoons.
Description of the treasure
The 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 ...
includes a wide range of