Clipping of the silver coins

Almost every silver siliqua in the hoard has had its edge clipped to some degree. This is typical of Roman silver coin finds of this period in Britain, although clipped coins are very unusual through the rest of the Roman Empire.[42] The clipping process invariably leaves the imperial portrait on the front of the coin intact, but often damages the mint mark, inscription, and the image on the obverse.[42]
The reasons for the clipping of coins are controversial. Possible explanations include fraud, a deliberate attempt to maintain a stable ratio between gold and silver coins, or an official attempt to provide a new source of silver bullion while maintaining the same number of coins in circulation.[42]
The huge number of clipped coins in the Hoxne Hoard has made it possible for archaeologists to observe the process of coin-clipping in detail. The coins were evidently cut face-up to avoid the head. The average level of clipping is roughly the same for coins dating from 350 onwards.[43]
Comparison of unclipped and clipped siliquae

An unclipped siliqua

Partially clipped siliqua

A heavily clipped siliqua
[edit]Gold jewellery


Frontal view of the gold body chain from the Hoxne Hoard. Visible are an amethyst and four garnets; four other gems, thought to have been pearls, are missing.[44][45]
All the jewellery in the hoard is gold, and all gold items in the hoard, other than coins, are jewellery. None of the jewellery is unequivocally masculine, although several pieces, like the rings, might have been worn by either gender.[46] There is one body chain, six necklaces, three rings, and nineteen bracelets. The total weight of the gold jewellery is about 1 kilogram (2.2 lb),[47] and the average metal content of the jewellery pieces is 91.5% gold (about 22 carat), with small proportions in the metal of silver and copper.[48]
The most important gold item in the hoard is the body chain, which consists of four finely looped gold chains, made using the "loop-in-loop" method called "fox tail" in modern jewellery, and attached at front and back to plaques.[49] At the front, the chains have terminals in the shape of lions' heads and the plaque has jewels mounted in gold cells, with a large amethyst surrounded by four smaller garnets alternating with four empty cells, which probably held pearls that have decayed. At the back, the chains meet at a mount centred on a gold solidus of Gratian (r. 375–383), which has been converted from an earlier use, probably as a pendant, and which may have been a family heirloom.[49] Body chains of this type appear in Roman art, sometimes on the goddess Venus or nymphs; some examples have erotic contexts, but they are also worn by respectable high-ranking ladies. They may have been regarded as a suitable gift for a bride.[50] The Hoxne body chain, worn tightly, would fit a woman with a bust-size of 76–81 cm (30–32 inches).[51] Few body chains have survived; one of the most complete, from the early Byzantine era and found in Egypt, is also in the British Museum.[52]



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