This re-evaluation of the Thetford hoard proposes a new date for its burial in the 5th c. CE (ca. 420s–40s), significantly later than the established date of the 380s–90s. The redating is based on comparative material from context-dated grave and hoard finds from across the western Roman Empire. At least 17 hoard artifacts are argued to have been made within the 5th c. The Thetford treasure is a key point of reference in dating artifacts, and therefore a new date, if accepted, will prompt further re-evaluation of material and significantly change our understanding of this key transition period.

The interpretation of the hoard is also revisited. The wide cultural connections that can be demonstrated in the jewelry reflect its assembly in a period of migration and displacement, and there is evidence that its economic value may have become paramount in the latest phase of the assemblage's use. Moreover, the revised date sets a new context for the hoard burial, after economic collapse and political breakdown in Britain. The article advocates for the potential role of wealthy religious sites like Thetford in filling the vacuum left by the collapse of Roman state authority in Britain.

A group of 24 bronze finger-rings threaded onto a wire bracelet was unearthed in 2018 at the Roman vicus at Wareswald (the “Forbidden Forest”) in Gallia Belgica. The find is analyzed here alongside evidence for the use, sale, and production of Roman rings. The find represents the work of a local craftsman, active in the first quarter of the 4th c. CE. While the rings were made in a small rural town, they closely imitate expensive global ring forms. The function and meaning of the very common class of trinket rings to which the Wareswald rings belong are considered, along with how these rings were used to make statements about identity, including local and regional affiliations, literacy, marital status, or other social connections. It is suggested that the popularity of many trinket rings lay in their ability to provide a sense of participation in upper-class fashion at a very low price.