What?
Silver (hammered, repoussé, poured and molded, minted) gold (jewelry) precious and semiprecious gemstones (jewelry)
When?
Third century
Where?
Europe / France / Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes / Rhône department / Lyon / Lyon 9th arrondissement / Charavay
History of the items
This hoard of precious objects that weighs more than three kilos was purposely buried in the Vaise neighborhood (Lyon 9th arrondissement) around 260 A.D. It was discovered in 1992 in two hiding places dug into the corner of the room in an ancient home. However, the home was rather modest, without mosaics or paintings, which made this discovery even more surprising.
Hiding a fortune to keep it safe
During the second half of the third century, the Alemanni and the Franks invaded Gaul. Worried about protecting their property, many of the residents decided to hide their valuable objects. This explains the large number of treasures found dating from this time.