Silver Treasure of Hildesheim

Hildesheim is a colorful city in Lower Saxony, Germany. On October 17, 1868, it became famous for the discovery of Roman silver. Buried about 2 meters beneath the ground on Galgenberg Hill, the Hildesheim Silver treasure was unearthed by a group of Prussian soldiers. It is known as the largest collection of Roman silver tableware to be found outside the boudaries of the Roman empire.

It's believed that the Hildersheim silver treasure dates back to the times of Emperor Augustus meaning it's more than 1,900 or 2,000 years old. In total, there are about 70 exquisitely crafted solid silver vessels of extraordinary beauty. Now, the Hildersheim treasure belongs to the Collection of Classical Antiquities in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

The most celebrated item from the Hildersheim silver hoard is surely the majestic Minerva Bowl. Apparently, Minerva was the Greek goddess of war and wisdom, Athena, but the Romans called her Minerva. As such, the Minerva Bowl is also sometimes known as the Athena Bowl. Weighing 2.388 kg, the Miverna Bowl is 25 cm in diameter and 7.1 cm in depth. There are two handles, each measuring 3.4 cm in length. In a central circle, there's a highly detailed sculpture of the goddess Minerva. Almost alive, she's sitting on a throne of rock, holding a cane in her right hand and clutching a shield with her left hand. Her head if turned to the left, with chin slightly raised. She's wearing her customary battle headgear and flowing robe, fit for a goddess of her stature. A little further from Minerva's right hand is her symbol, the owl, perched on a curious formation of rocks. Encircling her is a band of patterns representing some types of plants. Mysteriously, there is a German inscription on the bottom of the base.

As to how the Roman silver objects ended up in Hildensheim, it's anybody's guess. Some people say that it's connected to the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest which happened in 9AD. In the battle, Arminius, son of Segimerus, defeated three Roman legions under the command of Varus, a Roman noble on a war campaign in Germany. Thus, it's possible that the Hildesheim treasure belonged to Varus but there's no conclusive evidence to support this claim.

If you want to look at the Hildesheim treasure, you have to go to Berlin. If you want to sell silver, you have to go to a top silver buyer. This is the only way to guarantee that you will receive top dollar for silver and instant cash for silver!