The passage of arms

"This book is a study of a remarkable body of material: the fine objects that were so often buried in hoards or deposited in watery locations, such as rivers or bogs. Such finds are made throughout northern and western Europe and characterise the entire sequence from the Mesolithic to the early historical period. Although these finds are well known and the objects themselves have been studied for many years, less attention has been paid to the circumstances in which they came into the archaeological record, and it is this omission that the book seeks to redress." "This study traces the main outlines of that lengthy sequence and attempts to relate the changing character of these deposits to the broader processes taking place in prehistoric society."--BOOK JACKET.