Seuso Treasure

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Seuso Treasure is a hoard of fourteen large silver vessels and a copper cauldron from the late Roman Empire, dating to the late 4th or early 5th century AD. The first pieces appeared on the market in London in 1980, and a group led by Spencer Compton, the 7th Marquess of Northampton, bought what was believed to be the full hoard. Official documents claimed it had been found in the Tyre and Sidon region of Lebanon, and there were plans to sell it to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles for $10 million. When Sotheby’s tried to sell it in New York in 1990, the documentation was questioned, and Hungary, Croatia (then Yugoslavia) and Lebanon claimed ownership. A US court rejected those claims, and the Marquess kept the treasure; Scotland Yard continued the investigation.

Many scholars believe the treasure actually originated in Hungary. Evidence suggests it was first hidden in the 1970s after a Hungarian soldier, József Sümegh, found it during illicit digging near Polgárdi. Sümegh died in 1980 under suspicious circumstances. One main plate bears the inscription Pelso, the ancient name of Lake Balaton near Polgárdi, which supports a Hungarian origin. Other finds from the Lake Balaton region and similar decoration also point to Hungary.

In 2014 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced that seven pieces had been bought by Hungary for €15 million and would be shown in Budapest. In 2017 the remaining seven pieces were bought for about €28 million, and the complete hoard went on display at the Hungarian National Museum. Since 2019 the Seuso Treasure has been a permanent exhibition there, titled The Seuso Treasure. The Splendour of Roman Pannonia.

Over the years there were exhibitions and media programs that discussed its origin, including a private showing in London in 2006 and a Channel 4 Time Team program in 2008.