This volume represents the proceedings of a conference co-organised in 2009 by the Society of Antiquities of Scotland and National Museums Scotland, marking the ninetieth anniversary of the discovery of the Traprain treasure. Uncovered in 1919, this remarkable hoard comprises over 250 pieces of Late Roman silverware, deliberately bent, crushed or cut into pieces (‘Hacksilber’) and buried sometime in the fifth century a.d. on the hillfort of Traprain Law in East Lothian. The objective of the 27 articles which make up this volume is to answer the myriad questions that finds like the Traprain treasure raise. In particular, why were these objects destroyed, when and where did this process take place, and to what end? On a more fundamental level, they also address what these deposits can tell us about political and social experiences in the notoriously elusive fifth century in Britain and the Late Roman world more broadly. Together, the contents represent a wealth of research drawn from a wide range of disciplines and take an extremely broad view of material evidence ranging from the late third millennium b.c. (Kroll) to the Viking Age (Williams; Youngs). It is refreshing to see archaeological, literary, numismatic and scientific research brought together in a single volume, combining detailed analyses with broader theoretical narratives, to create an impressively comprehensive overview.

The primary success of the volume is in dispensing with the interpretation of Hacksilber as merely the division of loot by ‘barbarians’ and, in doing so, opening out the deep complexities inherent in the use, status and power implications of this material. One theme referred to by several authors (Painter; Hunter in Minnitt and Ponting; Kaufmann-Heinimann; Hobbs) is the purposeful division of metal goods into weights of known standards, indicating that its fragmentation was a carefully considered act. Hobbs’ contribution on individual finds of potential Hacksilber from Britain (see also Dyhrfjeld-Johnsen in relation to Danish finds) marks a fascinating future direction for study. If fragments of Hacksilber were, in some instances, exchanged and circulated as coin-substitutes, these individual finds represent a logical next step for investigation.

The volume is divided into five sections: Britain in the fifth century; silver in the Late Roman, and then post-Roman worlds; and two sections on Hacksilber. There is considerable overlap between papers, which gives the volume the virtue of seeming closer to a unified monograph than a series of individual articles. It is perhaps because of this that the structure and arrangement of the papers appears a little confused, particularly concerning chronological developments. Notably, Williams’ discussion of Viking ‘Hack-silver’ precedes discussion of the more immediately post-Roman deposits. Nonetheless, such inconsistencies are a minor drawback and do not detract from the overall success of the volume, particularly in highlighting just how much these archaeological discoveries can tell us about political relationships and power structures between the Empire and bordering territories. To this end, Painter's and Guggisberg's work is of immense value. Painter underlines the impact of imperial control of silver (and gold) production and the consequences of this in times of crisis, when the wealth of private households could be recalled to support the state, particularly in the form of military payments. The argument for official involvement in the distribution of precious metals is advanced by Guggisberg, who illuminates the nuanced social meanings projected onto goods made of different metals by both Romans and ‘barbarians’.

The contents of the Traprain hoard receive relatively light attention, being the main focus of only two chapters (Kaufmann-Heinimann and Martin; Guest's assessment of the siliquae from the Traprain treasure is actually more focused on the Hoxne hoard, and justifiably so given that the former only includes four examples). Readers hoping for more information about the hoard itself will be pleased to learn that a volume dedicated to a reassessment of the Traprain treasure is in preparation. Coinciding as it does with two major research projects on hoards (at the University of Oxford and the British Museum/University of Leicester) and a detailed re-analysis of the Mildenhall treasure currently underway, this contribution to our understanding of precious metal deposits has come at an opportune time. The inclusion of summaries of several other silver hoards (notably Patching; Magura Hill; Coleraine; West Bagborough; and multiple Danish examples) positions it as an indispensable repository for both comparative data and theoretical perspectives, which will no doubt inform these larger projects. It is an asset to have such a diverse array of information in one place and one hopes that, by emphasising the importance of these finds to broader inquiries into the turbulent Late Roman period, it will inspire greater scrutiny of both known Hacksilber deposits and future discoveries.