This volume is the result of an international conference organised by the Institute for the Material Culture of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The symposium discussed the meaning and function of treasure from the Middle Ages to early modern times, especially the interaction between societies and treasure in Western Europe between 1200 and 1630. The topics in the volume include the production and marketing of treasure, its acquisition and collecting through purchase, exchange, theft and donation, its search and discovery, concealment and display, as well as the logistic problems of its transport. Also examined is the extent the various sources and their contexts offer different perceptions of treasures. The papers provide a broad view of the material composition of treasure as well as the social dynamics in the interaction therewith. As a consequence, treasure can be understood as a medium of communication: even when unseen it can be considered a part of life in medieval and early modern societies.