Hundreds of ancient Dacian gold and silver treasures on display at Drents Museum

From Sunday, more than 600 gold and silver objects from the Dacians, ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, which is now Romania, will be displayed at the Drents Museum. The exhibition "Dacia - Rich in Gold and Silver" includes items borrowed from 18 Romanian museums.

"The 673 goods made of precious metals, part of more than 50 treasures from the collections of 18 museums in Romania, will be exhibited in a new and modern setting that highlights both the millennial history of the archaeological assets and the richness of the Dacian culture and civilization," the National History Museum of Romania informed.

"They tell the story of the Dacian people from 2000 BC until the Roman conquest. Some of the treasures have never before been shown inside or outside Romania," says the museum. The conquest took place in 106 AD.

The Dacians were masters in the production of gold and silver objects. According to the museum, the objects were decorated with motifs, symbols, or mythical representations. Over the centuries, the symbolism changed, and the Dacians developed their own symbol: the Dacian Draco, a cross between a wolf and a snake.

Twenty years ago, the Kunsthal in Rotterdam dedicated a general exhibition to the Dacians. Thirty years ago, Boijmans in Rotterdam had great success with the exhibition The Gold of the Thracians, which attracted more than 200,000 visitors. The Thracians also lived in the Balkans.

The exhibition Dacia - Empire of gold and silver lasts until the end of January 2025.