Hildesheim Silver Treasure

The find contained dozens of Roman silver vessels and utensils, including bowls, cups, plates, ladles, and serving pieces. Many objects carry elaborate vegetal or mythological decoration associated with elite Roman dining.

Prussian soldiers uncovered the silver while preparing ground near Hildesheim in 1868. The pieces had been buried together, but the reason for the deposit and the identity of its owner remain uncertain.

The treasure is held by the Antikensammlung in Berlin and is associated with the Altes Museum collection. Its best-known vessels are displayed as major examples of early Roman luxury silver.

Older theories connected it with the army of Publius Quinctilius Varus, which was defeated in the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9. That ownership has not been proved, and scholars generally treat the proposed Varus connection cautiously.