Global InformationSeuso Treasure information
The Seuso Treasure or Sevso[1] Treasure (Hungarian: Seuso-kincsek; Croatian: Seusovo blago), is a hoard of silver objects (14 items) from the late Roman Empire. The first pieces appeared on the market in London in 1980, and the treasure was acquired by a consortium headed by Spencer Compton, 7th Marquess of Northampton. Documentation was provided in which it was stated that it had been found in the Tyre and Sidon regions of Lebanon. It was put up for sale in New York City in 1990 by Sotheby's, but was halted when the documentation was found to be false, and the governments of Hungary, Yugoslavia (now Croatia) and Lebanon made claims of ownership. The claims of ownership by these countries were rejected by a US court, and the treasure remained in the possession of the Marquess of Northampton. Scotland Yard still has an open case on the matter.
The origin and provenance of the treasure are likely known, but not publicly acknowledged. There is much scientific evidence to indicate that the hoard was first acquired in the 1970s after the murder of a Hungarian soldier, who discovered the treasure during illicit digging at an established archaeological site in Hungary.[2] On 26 March 2014 Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán announced that half of the Seuso Treasure (seven items) had been bought by Hungary.[3][4] The Prime Minister described it as "Hungary's family silverware".[5] In June 2017 the remaining seven artifacts also returned to Hungary, being bought for €28 million.[6] Today, it is exhibited in the Hungarian National Museum.[7]
- ^ The incorrect spelling Sevso was spread by journalism and became the most widespread spelling of this name even in scholarship. However, no variant of Latin orthography uses the lowercase letter ⟨v⟩ in front of another consonant: in all forms of Latin orthography in lowercase, only the letter ⟨u⟩ can stand before another consonant, and such a letter always represents the sound /u/, in the case of Seuso, for the Latin diphthong /eu/. In the Latin script variant where only uppercase letters are used, however, the spelling of SEVSO would be normal.
- ^ "Time Team Specials – The Mystery of the Roman Treasure – Channel 4". channel4.com. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
- ^ "Orbán: Magyarország visszaszerezte a Seuso-kincset". hvg.hu. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
- ^ "Hungary buys back 7 Roman-era silver trays, jugs". idahostatesman.com. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
- ^ "Sevso Treasure, "Hungary's family silverware," returned". Budapest Business Journal. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
- ^ "Baán: Hetek óta itthon van a Seuso-kincs, a TEK hozta haza". HVG. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
- ^ "The Seuso Treasure - The Splendour of Roman Pannonia". Hungarian National Museum. Retrieved 17 September 2023.