The gold jewellery excavated at Lunnern is among the most significant Roman-era hoards found in Switzerland. Discovered along with more than 80 silver coins during the first systematic excavations of the site in 1741, it is now in the collection of the Swiss National Museum.

The aim of our interdisciplinary project was to study the hoard itself, and also to interpret its significance in terms of cultural history. Moreover, the amply documented record of the excavation works provides important insights into the Enlightenment and the beginnings of systematic archaeological research in Switzerland. The significance of the archaeological site and the history of settlement in the Reuss Valley were likewise studied in detail.

Link to publication

Project participants

• Dr Heidi Amrein, Swiss National Museum
• Prof Dr Stefanie Martin-Kilcher, University of Bern, Institute of Archaeological Sciences & Archaeology of the Roman Provinces
• Beat Horisberger, Archaeology Office of the Canton of Zurich
• Dr Mylène Ruoss, Swiss National Museum
• Dr Patrick Nagy, Archaeology Office of the Canton of Zurich
• Jürg Leckebusch, Archaeology Office of the Canton of Zurich
• Dr Alexander Voûte, Swiss National Museum
• Dr Hortensia von Roten, Swiss National Museum
• Dr Debora Schmid
• Dr Stefan Sonderegger
• Anita Brumann Cullen, Swiss National Museum
• Katja Hunger, Swiss National Museum