Buried treasure
Buried treasure is a
Pirates burying treasure was a rare occurrence, with the only known instance being
There are cases of buried treasure from different historical periods, such as the Dacian king
Buried treasure is a cultural concept and not the same as a hoard, which is typically found by archaeologists and metal detectors. The Fenn treasure, reportedly buried by millionaire Forrest Fenn in 2010, was found in 2020 in Wyoming.
Pirates
Pirates burying treasure was rare. The only pirate known to have actually buried treasure was William Kidd,[1] who is believed to have buried at least some of his wealth on Gardiners Island near Long Island before sailing into New York City. Kidd had originally been commissioned as a privateer for England, but his behavior had strayed into outright piracy, and he hoped that his treasure could serve as a bargaining chip in negotiations to avoid punishment. His bid was unsuccessful, however, and Kidd was hanged as a pirate.
In English fiction, there are three well-known stories that helped to popularize the myth of buried pirate treasure:
In 1911, American author
Cases
The Roman historian
There are a number of reports of supposed buried pirate treasure that surfaced much earlier than these works, indicating that the idea was around for more than a century before those stories were published. For example, extensive excavation has taken place on Oak Island (in Nova Scotia) since 1795 in the belief that one or more pirate captains had hidden large amounts of valuables there. These excavations were said to have been prompted by still older legends of buried pirate treasure in the area. No treasure has yet been reported found.
The Treasure of Lima is a supposed buried treasure on Cocos Island in the Pacific abandoned by pirates.[7] The treasure, estimated to be worth £160 million, was stolen by British Captain William Thompson in 1820 after he was entrusted to transport it from Peru to Mexico.[7]
The only authenticated treasure chest in the United States, once owned by
Pirate Olivier Levasseur, also known as "The Buzzard" (La Buse), was rumored to have hidden treasure before his death in 1730. No such treasure has been found.
During the 1666 Great Fire of London, wealthy residents of the city buried luxury goods such as gold and wine in the ground to protect them from the raging flames above.[9] Samuel Pepys, the noted diarist, buried a wheel of cheese in his garden to protect it from the fire.
Buried treasure is not the same as a hoard, of which there have been thousands of examples found by archaeologists and metal detectors. Buried treasure is as much a cultural concept as an objective thing. It is related to pirates and other criminals who leave stolen artifacts behind for later retrieval, typically in remote places like islands, sometimes with maps leading back to the treasure.
The Fenn treasure was reportedly buried by millionaire Forrest Fenn around 2010 and found in 2020, somewhere in Wyoming.
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 0-679-42560-8.
- ^ Paine, pp. 27–28
- ^ a b Paine, pg. 28
- ^ The Book of Buried Treasure at Internet Archive (scanned books original editions)
- ^ a b c Simon Garfield. On the Map: Why the World Looks the Way It Does (2012). Pgs. 176-180
- ISBN 978-0-271-04445-3. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ a b Jasper Copping (5 August 2012). "British expedition to Pacific 'treasure island' where pirates buried their plunder". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 August 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ISBN 9780470890219.
- ^ Mercer, Chris (2016-09-05). "Great Fire of London: Wealthy buried wine to save it". Decanter. Archived from the original on 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2019-03-16.