From 145,000-year-old shell ornaments to Tang Dynasty shipwrecks overflowing with gold, this talk explores humanity’s timeless obsession with hidden riches—and what they reveal of our past. Let us take you behind the scenes of legendary discoveries: Why was meteoritic iron more coveted than gold in the Bronze Age? How does an Arab merchant ship carrying 60,000 Tang Dynasty ceramics confirm the existence of the Maritime Silk Road? Where are the evidences that the Elizabethan London hoards bridged the Old and New Worlds?
Join our speakers as they explore the “three temporalities of treasure”—collecting, concealment and rediscovery—and how these time capsules continue to reshape our understanding of history.
With Xiaojia WANG，Art Historian and Lecturer at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
Bei HE，Art Historian and Lecturer at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts
In-Person Talk (in Simplified Chinese):
Friday, September 5th, 2025
7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Building 1, Twin Villas,796, Middle Huaihai Road
Huangpu District, Shanghai
Photo：
The Treasure of Villena，c. 1300-1000 BCE found in December 1963
© Villena's Archaeological Museum, Spain