Golden Legends Tales of Buried Treasure

                                                                                * During a leisurely walk through the scenic Kutnohorsk Region in the Czech Republic, an unsuspecting woman stumbled upon a remarkable treasure—a hidden stash of over 2,150 medieval silver coins dating back nearly 900 years. Once carefully stored in a ceramic pot, the coins had remained untouched since the turbulent early 12th century, safeguarding a piece of history from a time of political upheaval. Although the pot itself had deteriorated, the coins were a preserved relic, offering a glimpse into the lives and events of a bygone era. Experts from the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Czech Silver Museum in Kutná Hora are now working to analyze and restore this a...

  A sunken temple, a sanctuary in Egypt, was found in 2023 revealing one huge treasure. Artifacts discovered in the temple include gold objects and jewelry. A spectacular pillar made of lapis lazuli was found in a canal off the coast. Overflowing with treasure, this underwater discovery is astonishing. Collapsing halfway through the second century B.C., the temple was dedicated to Amun, an Egyptian god. Pharaohs traveled to this place of distinction to be given the title of "universal king." Once a port city of Thonis-Heraclaion, this abandoned collapsed building (underwater) 4.3 miles from the current coast of Egypt, was destroyed by the combination of an earthquake and resulting tidal wave.  Turning into a cauldron of liquified mud, this ancient city sank into the Nile Delta. Archaeologists unearthed silver ritual instruments, and alabaster containers that held perfumes and unguents. In addition to the above-mentioned treasures, divers discovered preserved wooden structures...

By jjsala - Flickr: DSC_0342, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22023395 The Whydah Gally was a British ship originally built in 1715 as a slave ship. It was captured by the infamous pirate Captain Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy in 1717, during the Golden Age of Piracy. Bellamy transformed the Whydah into his flagship, using it to plunder other vessels along the American coast. Tragically, the Whydah Gally met its end on April 26, 1717, when it was caught in a violent storm off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The ship sank, taking with it Bellamy, most of his crew, and a vast treasure of gold, silver, and other valuables. Only two crew members survived the wreck. The shipwreck was discovered in 1984 by underwater explorer Barry Clifford. It remains the only fully authenticated pirate shipwreck ever found. Among the artifacts recovered are cannons, coins, and the ship's bell, which bears the inscription "The Whydah Gally 1716." Excav...

 Crypto millionaire John Collins-Black, a California man, hid more than $2,000,000 in 5 boxes across the United States. It wasn't the first treasure hunt of its kind. Back in 1979, British author Kit Williams published "Masquerade," a children's book filled with riddles that led readers to a hidden golden rabbit. This prized treasure was found three years later, though reportedly with the aid of insider information. Fast forward to 1982, and Byron Preiss introduced "The Secret," a quest to discover 12 treasure boxes. Clues were embedded in cryptic verses with lines like, "Thucydides is/North of Xenophon/Take five steps/In the area of his direction." Despite Preiss' passing in 2005, only three of these treasure boxes have been found to date, as reported by the Boston Globe. Several other treasure hunts followed, including one for a golden owl. Forrest Fenn’s treasure hunt, however, stood out due to its widespread appeal. The hunt offered an esti...

Tools of the Temple                                Ancient Egyptian Weapons Underwater archaeologists have made an incredible discovery off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, where they unearthed a sunken temple, and a sanctuary filled with ancient treasures. The temple, dedicated to the god Amun, partially collapsed during a cataclysmic event in the mid-second century B.C. This temple was of great importance, as pharaohs visited it to receive their titles of power from Amun, the supreme god of the ancient Egyptian pantheon, according to the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM). Located in the ancient port city of Thonis-Heracleion, now submerged and about 4.3 miles (7 kilometers) from Egypt's modern-day coast, the temple was destroyed when a major earthquake and tidal waves caused the land to liquefy and sink into the Nile delta. During their exploration, archaeologists uncovered a wealth of...

Japanese and Chinese coins can have square holes in the center. Stacks of Japanese coin bundles were recently found in Japan. Lying on straw woven mats, these coins have square holes in the middle indicating where a string bound them together. Archaeologists in Maebashi, a city approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Tokyo, have discovered an enormous cache of about 100,000 coins. This significant find occurred during excavations ahead of the construction of a factory, as reported by The Asahi Shimbun. So far, only 334 coins have been examined. The oldest among them originates from China, dating back to 175 B.C., while the most recent is from A.D. 1265. The hoard comprises 1,060 bundles, each containing roughly 100 coins. The oldest coin bears the Chinese inscription "Banliang," which translates to "half ounce" and was commonly used in China about 2,200 years ago, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Ethan Segal, an associate pr...

A modern dry washer much easier to use than mine. This article unveils the workings of a dry washer, an invention so simple yet brilliant that even the average reader can appreciate its ingenuity. The dry washer, reminiscent of a medieval or renaissance machine, could even be mistaken for a device of torture! The Hopper Box At the top of the machine is a hopper box, covered with a 1/4-inch screen through which dirt is thrown. Each shovelful is "classified" into material free of rocks or pebbles larger than a quarter inch. Weeds and organic matter are also filtered out. I always examine the rocks that fall off after each shovel full to ensure I haven't missed a colossal gold nugget. Despite classifying tons of material over the years, I've yet to find such a nugget, though I still dream about it! Many people use metal detectors to scan the rocks that pile up in front of the machine, adding real meaning to the phrase "gold is precious." There is a sheet metal ...