In 1799, one of the most important hoards of gold from the European early Middle Ages was discovered near the village of Nagyszentmiklós (then in the Kingdom of Hungary, now Sânnicolau Mare, Romania). It consists of 23 gold vessels with a total weight of almost 10 kg.

What makes the treasure so valuable is the high quality of workmanship and the exotic beauty of some of the vessels. Above all, however, it represents a unique resource for the study of cultural connections between the Mediterranean world and the nomadic societies of Eurasia. The contributions in this volume—results of a conference held in Vienna in 2010—deal, among other things, with techniques of goldsmithing and the possible connections between the treasure and the culture of the Sasanian Empire.