Silver in Late Antiquity

The British Museum holds one of the most extensive collections of Late Antique silver plate in the world, from Britain, Europe, the Mediterranean and Iran. These objects have featured in a number of major exhibitions and publications, but very little has been published on how the manufacture of these objects developed over time and their overall cultural and social significance. Using unpublished scientific data, this volume presents new insights into the manufacture and decoration of silver plate in Late Antiquity from Britain to Iran, including the extraction of silver metal, workshop traditions and the recycling of older material. One area of focus is how the adoption of silver for coinage in the first millennium BC had a profound and lasting influence on the technology, economy and artistic production of silver plate in Late Antiquity.

Wider contextual essays study the role of silver plate in the Roman, Byzantine and Sasanian worlds, including how silver plate was used in diplomatic exchanges, ostentatious displays of wealth, taxation and votive gifts to the gods. This multi-disciplinary approach allows comparisons to be made between how silver plate was used across Late Antiquity, providing unique insights into these objects of wonder.