Sevso Treasure

The Sevso or Seuso Treasure (Hungarian: Seuso-kincsek; Croatian: Seusovo blago) is a hoard of silver objects (14 items) from the late Roman Empire. The first pieces appeared on the market in London in 1980, and the treasure was acquired by a consortium headed by Spencer Compton, 7th Marquess of Northampton. Documentation was provided in which it was stated that the treasure had been found in the Tyre and Sidon regions of Lebanon. The treasure was put up for sale in New York City in 1990 by Sotheby's, but was halted when the documentation was found to be false, and the governments of Hungary, Yugoslavia and Lebanon made claims of ownership. The claims of ownership by these countries were rejected by a US court, and the treasure remained in the possession of the Marquess of Northampton. Scotland Yard still has an open case on the matter.

On 26 March 2014 Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán announced that half of the Sevso Treasure (seven items) had been bought by Hungary. The Prime Minister described the treasure as "Hungary's family silverware". In June 2017 the remaining seven artifacts also got back to Hungary, for a sum of €28 million.

The origin and provenance of the treasure are likely known, but not publicly acknowledged. There is much scientific evidence to indicate that the hoard was first acquired in the 1970s after the murder of a Hungarian soldier, who discovered the treasure during illicit digging at an established archaeological site in Hungary.

The treasure trove consists of 14 large decorated silver vessels and the copper cauldron which contained them, and has been dated to the late 4th or early 5th century AD. Most notable is a large dish, 70 cm in diameter and weighing nearly 9 kg, which bears the inscription:

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