{{no footnotes, date=February 2016 The Treasure of Gourdon (french: Trésor de Gourdon) is a

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 ...

of gold objects of which date to the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth century AD. They were secreted soon after 524. It was unearthed in 1845 near Gourdon,

Saône-et-Loire Saône-et-Loire (; Arpitan: ''Sona-et-Lêre'') is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the rivers Saône and Loire, between which it lies, in the country's central-eastern part. Saône-et-Loire is Bo ...

When it was found, the hoard comprised a

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

and a rectangular

paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the ...

that were similarly applied with garnets and turquoises in cloisonné compartments, together with about a hundred gold coins dating from the reigns of

Byzantine 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 Constantinopl ...

emperors

Leo I The LEO I (Lyons Electronic Office I) was the first computer used for commercial business applications. The prototype LEO I was modelled closely on the Cambridge EDSAC. Its construction was overseen by Oliver Standingford, Raymond Thompson and ...

(457–474) through

Justin I Justin I ( la, Iustinus; grc-gre, Ἰουστῖνος, ''Ioustînos''; 450 – 1 August 527) was the Eastern Roman emperor from 518 to 527. Born to a peasant family, he rose through the ranks of the army to become commander of the imperial ...

(518–527). The

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gaul ...

king

Clovis I Clovis ( la, Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a single ki ...

converted to Christianity in 496; the chalice and paten might be called early

or late

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

. The treasure is preserved in the Cabinet des Médailles museum, Paris, a department of the

Bibliothèque nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

. The chalice is 7.5 cm tall. It rests on a truncated conical base; two handles that take the form of highly stylized birds that are recognizable solely by their beaks and garnets that form the eyes. The body of the chalice has a reverse-dragooned base. The upper part of the chalice is decorated with cloisonné garnets and turquoises cut into the shapes of hearts and

palmette The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has a far-reaching history, originating in ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art ...

s. The shape of the chalice may be compared to ''cant hares'' of ceramic or metal; the commonly used method of making wine cups among the Romans. The decoration can be considered "

barbarian A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...

" in both

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

and technique, and was made uncommonly light and portable by employing the cloisonné technique. Comparable bird motifs may be traced back to

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kn ...

, Lombard and Merovingian metalwork. The rectangular paten is 19.5 cm by 12.5 cm, and 1.6 cm deep. It presents a border of cloisonné garnets, a central cross in garnets and four corner motifs of turquoise. The Christian cross unequivocally identifies the ensemble as Christian. War in eastern

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

in the 520s came against the

Burgundians The Burgundians ( la, Burgundes, Burgundiōnes, Burgundī; on, Burgundar; ang, Burgendas; grc-gre, Βούργουνδοι) were an early Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared in the middle Rhine region, near the Roman Empire, and ...

. It was waged by the four successors of Clovis. The war came to a decisive end with the

Battle of Vézeronce The Battle of Vézeronce took place on June 25, 524 near Vézeronce-Curtin (then ''Veseruntia'') in Isère, France. This battle was part of an invasion of Burgundy initiated by the four successors of the Frankish king Clovis I: Childebert I, C ...

, in 524, with a conclusive Burgundian defeat.

History

In the sixth century, Gourdon was the site of a monastery—possibly the source of these objects. The latest date found among the coins that were part of the hoard is estimated to be circa 524. The treasure may have been buried in anticipation of a raid. A shepherd girl, Louise Forest, discovered it below a Roman tile engraved with a cross. The treasure was sold at auction in Paris, 20 July 1846. The paten and chalice were acquired by the State and the documented coins were dispersed and are not available to the public.

References

* ''This article is largely based on a translation from French Wikipedia.''
The discovery related in the ''Journal de la Saône-et-Loire''
Gourdon, treasure of Gourdon Gourdon Chalices Collection of the Cabinet des Médailles, Paris 1845 archaeological discoveries

Contents

History

See also

References