One of the most remarkable things about the artefactual record of the European Bronze Age is the enormous quantity of metalwork which was consigned to the ground. This phenomenon, the deposition of ‘hoards’ of bronze (fig. 10.1), is one of the most discussed, though least understood, aspects of the Bronze Age. Whatever explanation one prefers, the vast amount of wasted raw material and encapsulated labour that these finds represent is by any standard extraordinary. If they were utilitarian in nature, how could the societies involved afford to lose so much material? If they were votive, why were they deposited on such a large scale? In view of the complexity of the issues, it is likely that no single explanation will account for more than a proportion of the finds.

Bronze hoards, that is collective finds of whole or fragmentary bronze implements or pieces of waste and uncast metal, vary greatly in size and constitution. This variability can be followed in both chronological and geographical dimensions; attempts at discerning regularities in this material are usually only valid for a restricted area and period. Conversely, when one looks at the picture over wider areas and across chronological divisions, any impression of neat patterning dissolves. But this very diversity has provided fertile ground for the germination of ideas on the nature and significance of the phenomenon. The literature is large and the difference in views between scholars treating identical material striking, ranging from the minutely detailed examination of particular collections of material, notably by German writers, to contextual treatments such as those of Bradley.