The return to Hungary of the Seuso Treasure (sometimes also written as Sevso) brings to an end a struggle that lasted some 25 years, a story full of intrigue. The items bear a motif of Lake Balaton and an inscription of the word “Pelso,” the Roman-era name for the lake.

Back then, the region southeast of Balaton was the site of a castle owned by a nobleman named Seuso, and the theory is that he received the treasure as a gift from the emperor. The items were reportedly discovered in 1975 or 1976 in an archaeological dig near the town of Polgárdi, southeast of the lake. They mysteriously disappeared for a time before turning up again on the London market in 1980.

Hungary has been struggling since the country’s democratization for the return of the “family silver,” as the prime minister calls it. Unfortunately, all previous attempts failed. But after paying a price of 15 million euro for the ancient silver – about one third of the sum the negotiations started with some two decades ago – the treasure has finally returned to Hungary.

Its return is the biggest news in art preservation, archeology and history that Hungary has seen for a very long time.

By Kumin Ferenc

Source: A Blog About Hungary

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