Eight gold hoards from the Low Countries. A synthesis

This volume publishes eight new gold hoards from the Late Iron Age that have been found in central Belgium (Fraire, Thuin-1,-2,-3, Philippeville, Orp-le-Grand, Heers) and the Southern Netherlands (Amby) (see fig. 1). While brief find reports have been published on the hoards of Heers, Fraire and Thuin-1, the remaining five have not previously appeared in the literature. The study of these eight hoards has yielded a wealth of new information on the archaeological contexts in which they were found, on the dating of the coinages they contain and on the social role of the coins in the societies of the time. An interesting feature is the mixed nature of five of the eight hoards, which tells us which coinages were in circulation at the same time. The hoard finds have also proved a treasure trove for coin die research. We have been able to identify large numbers of die connections between coins from the different hoards, which has laid the foundation for a comprehensive quantification and seriation of the dies used for several of the coinages. This has enabled us to comment on the relative dating of the hoards and the volume of the coin emissions.