This article is about the village of Mildenhall, Suffolk. There is also an article on the village of Mildenhall, Wiltshire
Mildenhall, Suffolk England is a small town with a large RAF base located immediately outside the village that is used by the United States Air Force. Mildenhall is famous for the Mildenhall treasure (now at the British Museum), which is the most spectacular discovery in 1943 of a hoard of Roman silver objects, that was buried in the troubled times of the 4th century. The mid-4th century Great Dish of the Mildenhall Treasure measures 605 mm in diameter and weighs 8256 g. It is one of the finest surviving examples of Roman silversmithing anywhere. The decoration glorifies Bacchus, with a wide band showing the effects of wine on gods and heroes, and an inner band of nereids, surrounding a foliated head of Acoetes, the sailor saved by Bacchus for believing in the god, when the rest of the ship's crew desired to sell Bacchus as a slave and were turned to dolphins for their impiety. It was discovered along with over thirty other banquetting items mostly with similarly elaborate decoration. There are smaller silver platters featured Pan and maenads, a covered bowl with a frieze of centaurs and wild animals, and numerous other bowls, ladles and spoons. They appear to be of Continental or North African origin.
Roald Dahl turned the find into a short story, "The Mildenhall treasure."
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