ABSTRACT
A large proportion of the objects attributed to hoards have been found outside a closed context. Thus, the content of the hoards depends on an interpretation of which objects are attributed to the hoard and which are related to other activities in the deposition area. The chapter opens with a source-critical discussion of two questions: 1) Is it likely that the Bornholm hoards contained objects other than those made of silver, such as bronzes, gold objects, and weights/balance scales? 2) Is it likely that some hoards include a ‘chronological gap’ early and/or late in the accumulation horizon? The chapter continues with a methodological discussion of the biographical perspective of hoards. It is argued that the biographies of the hoards can be seen as individual life-histories, linked to the people who collected, handled, and deposited the silver. Thus, the focus of the survey is the total biography of the hoard, and the aim is to analyse and illustrate how the hoards were accumulated and, if possible, to describe the various actions and events that led to their composition at the time of deposition. The analysis therefore operates with three general concepts defined as Deposition horizon (the period when the hoard was likely deposited), Accumulation horizon (the period during which the hoard was accumulated), and Deposition event (the actual act of deposition). The chapter concludes with an overview of the content and chronology of the Bornholm Viking-Age hoards in a diachronic perspective.
