Found by a metal detectorist in 2002, in a field close to the source of the River Cam in northern Hertfordshire, the Ashwell Hoard was an exciting discovery. Consisting of a silver-gilt figurine, items of gold jewellery and a number of gold and silver leaf plaques, it was clearly part of a treasure of votive offerings to a deity rather than plunder or the like buried for safekeeping. Most interesting is the identity of the recipient. Despite the fact that several of the plaques carry depictions of a goddess with the attributes of Minerva, the figure in question is named as the previously unattested Senuna. We can only deduce that Senuna was a native goddess who was identified with Minerva, or at least shared some of her functions and attributes with Minerva. But not solely with Minerva: the silver figurine depicts Senuna holding a libation dish and ears of corn – symbols more appropriate to a fertility goddess such as Ceres or Fortuna. Clearly, Minerva was not a precise fit for Senuna. Moreover, some of the plaques represent different subjects altogether: Victory, Mars, a possible Mercury, Minerva with the head of Mars; so, Senuna could also be associated with other deities of the Roman pantheon.

The story of the hoard, its recovery, its iconography and its religious and artistic significance is recounted in the first half of the book under review. Written mainly by Ralph Jackson, it is an exemplary piece of work, lavish and painstaking in its attention to detail: there is scarcely a relevant parallel anywhere within the Roman world that has not been cited. Furthermore, the opportunity is taken to publish two closely related hoards found nearby in the eighteenth century: the first from Barkway, also in northern Hertfordshire, and the second from Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire. Each of these features a number of the distinctive metal leaf plaques, now dedicated mainly to Mars (though two examples at Barkway honour Vulcan instead, and one at Stony Stratford depicts Apollo).

To complete the record, the second half of the book, written principally by Gilbert Burleigh, reports the results of field-walking, geophysical survey and excavation in the Ashwell area, with special emphasis on a dig from 2003 to 2006 targeted at the findspot of the hoard. It was hoped to uncover evidence of a temple of Senuna from which the votive offerings could have been derived; and, though no unequivocal structure was discovered, there were abundant signs of religious activity and ritual deposition in the immediate area.

The finds from the excavation are catalogued with the same attention to detail as the contents of the hoard. We owe a considerable debt of gratitude to the two authors and their collaborators for providing such a full and methodical description of the results of their quest for information on a new and intriguing Romano-British deity.