1.
----Artifact date: 3rd century AD
Basic Identification:
Artifact title: ​The Graincourt Treasure: plate decorated with fish
Current Location: Louvre
Associated culture / historical epoch: Gallo-Roman
Place of origin: ​ ​Pas-de-Calais département
Picture or sketch:
Observable characteristics:
Dimensions: Diameter 35 cm
Materials / Medium / Method of fabrication: silver
Decorative motifs, imagery: There are decorative fish on the trim of the place and the
center of the plate
Inscriptions: NA
Personal observations:
At first, I was sure that this “plate” was made out of some metal, but then I discovered
that it was made out of silver. It looked very beautiful because it had some beautiful
intricate details carved in the middle and on the sides of the plate.
Known Cultural / historical context:
Usage: Objects as this one, was mainly used by high class people in their everyday life
for eating.
Role in cultural practices: You can clearly see by this plate that it was only used by the
rich which signifies a very visual difference between the rich and the poor.
Associated concepts:
Status Object
Deduction / Speculation:
The Graincourt Treasure was found in Graincourt-lès-Havricourt in 1958 during an
operation to defuse a wartime bomb. The treasure consisted of nine pieces of silver
tableware, including this plate, and was probably buried for safekeeping some time
during the Germanic invasions that ravaged Gaul during the second half of the 3rd
century AD. It seems that the names of the owners are marked on the backs of some of
the pieces in the form of graffiti. Silver tableware had been particularly prized in the
Roman empire since the 1st century BC and the trend spread to Gaul in the 2nd and
3rd centuries AD. A number of Gallo-Roman sites have given up similar treasure troves,
including Chaourse in the Aisne département and Rethel in the Ardennes. The sheer
quantity of such prestigious pieces reflects their popularity among the wealthy and the
taste for luxury that noble families were able to indulge in the provinces of the empire.
Then reflect on where the object sits on one or more of these spectrums:
Even though that during these times there was a lot of silver produced, these dishes
were
individually crafted. ​These are ​enduring​, because they were made out of silver and it
usually lasts for a very long time. These are ​mundane objects​ because they were
utilized at people’s houses.