The Dacian Hoard from Bucureşti-Herăstrău. Archaeological and Archaeometallurgical Approaches
The Dacian Hoard from Bucureşti-Herăstrău. Archaeological and Archaeometallurgical Approaches

Summary/Abstract: The late Latène hoard from Bucharest-Herăstrău (first half of the 1 st century B.C.) comprises imported pieces from the Hellenistic-Roman centres (surely the tetradrachmas from Thasos, probably the mastos silver-cup and hypothetically the lost bronze situla) together with silver pieces, which, at least under the manufacturing aspect, seem to be local products of artisans from Barbaricum. The question that is raised rises is whether the metallographic analyses might pay clues for determining the origin of the different pieces from the hoard. The hypothesis according to which the raw material that represented the basis for the metalwork pieces would have been procured by recycling several coins similar to those discovered in the same hoard, could not be entirely confirmed, but at the same time the analyses did not categorically infirm it. This initial alloy seems to be similar with the one in the coins. The X-Ray test could not certify, but could not invalidate either if the jewelry and cup’s silver-based alloy was obtained by recycling the coins.

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