Hoards as collections: re-examining the Snettisham Iron Age hoards from the perspective of collecting practice

Abstract

In this article it is argued that past examination of hoards and hoarding has concentrated too much on the moment of deposition to the detriment of the period of collection and accumulation of material that preceded it. An alternative perspective on prehistoric hoarding is proposed that concentrates on the processes by which objects were collected and assembled to form hoards and parallels are drawn with recent research examining how museum collections were formed. These ideas are applied to a case study which re-examines the material from the well-known Iron Age hoards from Snettisham, Norfolk, UK, as an example of how approaching hoards as collections can provide fresh insights on the practices of collecting and hoarding.