All about treasures. The largest hoard found in recent times. Pirate Treasure - Florida Beach

People have never left the desire to find ancient treasures. While many have devoted their entire lives to searching for gold without finding it, others have stumbled upon ancient treasures quite by accident. Many of these stories have happy endings, with priceless gold treasures now in museums, while others speak of people desecrating and looting graves in the black market for antiquities. Here we take a look at ten of the most spectacular gold treasures from the ancient world.

"Nuestra Señora de Atocha", treasures at the bottom of the sea. Florida, USA

A flotilla of twenty ships left the port of Havana on the island of Cuba on its way to Spain on September 4, 1622. These ships carried the wealth of the empire, and on board were soldiers, passengers, and slaves. The next day, when the ships entered the Strait of Florida, a hurricane began. Eight ships sank.

The galleon "Nuestra Señora de Atocha" ("Our Lady of Atocha") was among them. It transported treasures from Colombia, Peru and other regions of South America: 24 tons of silver in 1038 bars, 18,000 silver coins, 82 copper ingots, 125 gold ingots, 525 bales of tobacco, 20 bronze cannons and more. Spanish archaeologists have been looking for "Nuestra Señora de Atocha" for 60 years, but never found it.

The ship was discovered in July 1985 by the treasure hunter, diver Mel Fisher, who spent 16 years searching for the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, starting in 1969. Treasures and artifacts worth about half a billion dollars have been brought to the surface, this is the largest find ever made. Artifacts from the Atocha are now part of the collection of the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society Museum in Florida.

Bronze Age treasure from the Bush Barrow burial site near Stonehenge, England

In 1808, William Cunnington, one of Britain's first professional archaeologists, discovered what became known as the crown jewels of the "King of Stonehenge". They were found in a large mound, located at a distance of only 800 m from Stonehenge, in the town of Bush Barrow. In the 4,000-year-old burial mound, Cunnington found jewelry, a diamond-shaped gold clasp, and an intricately decorated dagger.

The handle of the dagger is adorned with approximately 140,000 tiny gold pins, only a third of a millimeter wide, made from extremely fine gold wire, slightly thicker than a human hair. The end of the wire was flattened and cut off to make a hairpin. This delicate procedure was repeated tens of thousands of times. Tiny holes were made in the handle of the dagger to secure the studs with wood resin. It is believed that the entire process of creating the handle of the dagger took about 2500 hours.

Treasures of Malagan in Colombia: gold and greed

In 1992, a sugarcane farm worker was working on a tractor in Hacienda Malagana, in the Cauca Valley. Suddenly, the ground collapsed, and he, along with the tractor, fell into the resulting hole. The worker noticed shiny gold objects in the mud. Upon closer examination, he realized that he had found a huge treasure. He spoke about the treasures found, including golden masks, armbands, jewelry and other precious relics. He was soon joined by other workers and locals upon learning of the treasures buried in the fields, and a frenzy of looting began. Between October 1992 and December, approximately 5,000 people are said to have come in search of treasure, which has been described as the Malagan Gold Rush.

Nearly four tons of pre-Columbian artifacts have been stolen, melted down or sold to collectors. Hundreds of graves were destroyed and looted. The Museo del Oro in Bogota reportedly purchased some of the stolen gold artifacts in late 1992. About 150 gold pieces were eventually bought by the museum from looters for 500 million pesos ($300,000) in an attempt to preserve the artifacts. Unfortunately, looting in Hacienda Malagana continues, with several cases reported in 2012.

Eberswalde Hoard: Bronze Age Golden Treasury, Germany

The treasures of Eberswalde were found in 1913 during excavations in an area located northeast of Berlin. This treasure is one of the country's most priceless treasures; it is Germany's largest prehistoric collection of gold items. The hoard consists of 81 items, including 60 gold spiral bracelets, eight gold bowls and a gold ingot. The total weight of these artifacts is 2.6 kg. They are dated X-XI centuries.

The purpose of the burial of the Eberswalde treasure is unknown, although one scholar has suggested that they are sacred objects, as vases were the most common type of sacred offering during the Bronze Age. All artifacts are believed to be Villena style jewelry due to their similarity to the Villena treasure in the Iberian Peninsula. The treasure is currently in Russia and Germany is trying to return it.

Treasures of Priam: the gold of the legendary Troy, Turkey

In the 19th century, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann began searching for the legendary city of Troy to prove that it really existed. His research was marked by success and the hills of Khizarlik in Turkey, where Schliemann excavated, are today recognized as the place where ancient Troy was located. Among his finds were treasures that, according to Schliemann, belonged to the Trojan king Priam.

On May 31, 1873, Schliemann found the precious treasure that he had been looking for for a long time. According to him, he accidentally stumbled upon the Treasure of Priam - while digging a trench on the southwestern side of the site, something flashed in the soil.
The remarkable find included weapons, a copper cauldron, a bronze saucepan, a bronze teapot, and many gold and silver items, including a gold headdress, necklaces, earrings, and gold armbands. Currently, the treasures of Priam are in Russia.

After finding the location of the legendary Troy, Schliemann discovered the final resting place of Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, who led the Greek army during the Trojan War. Schliemann made an impressive find - the golden mask of Agamemnon.

In 1876, Schliemann began excavations at Mycenae under the auspices of the Greek Archaeological Society. Schliemann's workers unearthed a stele marking a burial site 27.5 meters across, which included 5 Bronze Age graves. Excavations have shown that they contained the remains of several Mycenaean chiefs, five of whom had golden masks. In a telegram to King Georg of Greece, Schliemann proudly declared: “It is with great joy that I announce to Your Majesty that I have discovered the tombs in which, in accordance with the description of Pausanias, Agamemnon, Cassandra, Eurymedon and their comrades, who were killed at the feast of Clytemnestra and her lover, are buried. Aegisthus."

Schliemann claimed that one of the remains belonged to Agamemnon, hence the golden mask was called the "Mask of Agamemnon". It was a death mask made of gold leaf using the embossing method. Of the five golden masks, this was the only one depicting a bearded man, so Schliemann concluded that it belonged to Agamemnon. However, scientists are still arguing about this.

Staffordshire Anglo-Saxon Gold Hoard, England

On July 5, 2009, amateur treasure hunter Terry Herbert was using a metal detector to explore farmland in the village of Hammerwich in Staffordshire when his metal detector indicated that he had found a metal object. Herbert began to dig and found gold. In five days, Herbert filled 244 sacks with gold objects dug out of the soil. He realized that the site could be of great historical importance and contacted the local authorities. Soon, archaeologists from Birmingham Archeology began excavating the site and found more than 3,500 items, including 5 kg of gold and 1.3 kg of silver. This is the largest known hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold.

Some of the items from the hoard were exhibited at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Their value is £3.3 million (approximately $5.4 million). Most researchers agree that all artifacts belong to the 17th century, although it is not yet known when they were actually buried and for what purpose.

A man from Varna, a rich grave from the 5th millennium BC, Bulgaria

In 1970, archaeologists in Bulgaria unearthed a huge Eneolithic necropolis containing gold artifacts first found near present-day Varna. Only after excavating burial No. 43, they realized the real significance of the find. Inside the burial were the remains of a man of high social status and unfathomable wealth - there was more gold than was found in the rest of the world at that time.

The Varna culture originated on the Black Sea coast about 7,000 years ago, on the territory of present-day Bulgaria. It was an advanced civilization and the first known culture to create gold artifacts.

The first evidence of the ancient civilization of Varna were tools, vessels, utensils and figurines made of stone, flint, bone and clay. The incredible and accidental discovery was reported in newspapers around the world. In October 1972, excavator Raicho Marinov stumbled upon a huge Eneolithic necropolis containing countless gold treasures. More than 300 graves were found in the necropolis, 22,000 exquisite artifacts, including 3,000 pieces of gold with a total weight of 6 kilograms, as well as stone tools, jewelry, Mediterranean shells, ceramics, knives and beads.

Secret storeroom in the Scythian burial mound. The use of drugs in rituals. Russia

In 2013, gold artifacts with traces of cannabis and opium were discovered in a secret room hidden in an ancient Scythian mound near Stavropol. Called the discovery of the century, the golden artifacts and drugs point to ancient rituals described by the Greek historian Herodotus.

The Scythian burial mound was discovered during the construction of a power line in the Caucasus Mountains, in southern Russia. It was determined that the burial mound had been looted, however, archaeologists discovered a hidden chamber, built approximately 2,400 years ago, containing gold objects weighing more than three kilograms. Among them are two vessels, rings, necklaces, bracelets and three golden goblets. The vessels are richly decorated with embossing depicting highly detailed dramatic battle scenes, animals and people.

Criminologists have analyzed the black residue found on the walls of the golden vessels. The results confirmed that it was opium and hashish, so the researchers concluded that the Scythians performed rituals using drugs, as reported by Herodotus.

Treasures from the tomb of a warrior priest in Sipan, Peru

In 1987, a huge complex of tombs was discovered during archaeological excavations in Huaca Rajada, near the village of Sipan on the northern coast of Peru. The most famous of the graves belonged to El Señor de Sipan, a Moche warrior priest who was buried among dazzling treasures unlike any other tombs in the region.

In the center of the tomb with an area of ​​5 by 5 meters was a wooden sarcophagus - the first of its kind found in North and South America. It contained the remains of a man dressed in rich royal robes, surrounded by many gifts that were supposed to accompany him to the afterlife. Analysis of the iconographic images found in the tomb suggests that this man was a warrior-priest and prominent ruler of the Lambayeque Valley.

The coffin contained jewelry made of gold, silver and copper, including a headdress with a huge crescent moon and a plume of feathers, masks, glass beads, necklaces, rings, earrings, a golden scepter, plates of gilded metal sewn to cotton fabric, and also trapezoidal sheets of wrought gold that the warriors attached to the back of their suits. Necklaces were made of gold and silver in the shape of peanuts, an important food item for the Moche people.

Ten golden peanut kernels of gold, representing masculinity and the sun god, were on the right side, and ten silver kernels on the left side, representing femininity and the moon god. In addition, there were many ceremonial items in the grave, such as tropical sea shells, silver and gold rattles, knives, a golden death mask, golden bells, and three other beaded headdresses. In total, the tomb contained more than 450 gold, silver, copper and other items.

Adventure seekers have long been attracted by treasures, a great number of which are hidden in the bowels of the seas, deserts and in ancient caches. This is not only an adventurous adventure, but also interesting finds that lift the curtains in history, and romance from the past that declares itself.

The most amazing thing is that not only archaeologists and divers, junk dealers or treasure hunters can find something of value. Sometimes such a chance also falls to ordinary people. The main thing is that the found wealth should not be underestimated!

Here are the most valuable and interesting treasures found in the last decade!

"Naryshkin Treasure" in St. Petersburg, 2012

In March 2012, in St. Petersburg, during the restoration of the old Trubetskoy-Naryshkin mansion at 29 Tchaikovsky Street, workers found a walled-up room filled with dishes. Most of the instruments bore the Naryshkin family coat of arms. The collection was supplemented by French knives with mother-of-pearl and porcelain painted handles, several Easter pendants in bulk and on a chain, stored in a case with the Faberge hallmark, and the Order of the Russian Empire - a total of 2168 items. All items were carefully wrapped in vinegar-soaked cloth and 1917 newspapers. Apparently, the owners expected to return.

Donations at an Indian temple, 2011

This is one of the largest treasures in modern history. Treasures hidden in the lower tiers of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple have been valued at $22 billion. This is 6% of the total gold and foreign exchange fund of India. The keepers of the temple began to fill the six underground vaults with donations from the 14th century.

One and a half centner of Roman coins, 2010, UK

Bronze coins were stored in a clay jar, which was only under a 30-centimeter layer of earth. The treasure was found by an amateur archaeologist. The total value of the coins was not disclosed.

Gold and jewels in Staffordshire, 2009

The treasure, discovered by the Englishman Terry Herbert, consisted of five kilograms of gold, three kilograms of silver and precious stones. The treasure hunter stumbled upon the treasure while using a metal detector to explore the territory of his friend's farm.

Collection of coins from the German library, 2011

A box filled with unique Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins was found among the books of the state library in one of the towns of Lower Bavaria by an ordinary cleaner. Perhaps the collection was hidden in 1803 from the authorities, who confiscated the coins and books stored in the monasteries in favor of the state. The value of the find is several million euros.

17 tons of silver at a depth of 2.5 km, 2011, Atlantic

About 17 tons of silver was found aboard the British steamer Mantola, which sank in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was wrecked as a result of an attack by the German submarine U-81. The value of the treasure exceeds $19 million. True, no one has yet been able to raise it from such a depth.

Half a million gold and silver coins, 2007

In May 2007, Odyssey Marine Exploration announced the discovery of a wreck with 500,000 gold and silver coins on board. The treasure was raised and shipped to the US, but the company did not say who owned the sunken ship or where exactly it was found.

48 tons of English silver, 2012, Atlantic

In February 1941, the Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German submarine. The transport sank 300 nautical miles off the coast of Ireland. There were 85 crew members on board the ship. Only second mate Richard Ayers managed to escape. About 48 tons of silver were lifted from the ship - 1203 ingots.

700 gold coins, 2011, Caribbean

Off the coast of the Dominican Republic, Deep Blue Marine divers recovered 700 coins dated 1535 and gold jewelry from a sunken ship. The value of the find is several million dollars.

53 tons of platinum on a British ship, 2012, USA

In 2009, American treasure hunter Greg Brooks announced that he had discovered incredible treasures in a British merchant ship lying at the bottom of the American coast, with which Great Britain and the USSR paid for equipment supplied from the United States under Lend-Lease. Then Brooks, fearing competitors, named only the approximate cost of what was found - $ 3.5 billion, without revealing the location of the find.

Three years later, Greg Brooks gave the name of the ship - "Port Nicholson" - and clarified that it was sunk by a German submarine. “Our equipment is not enough to cope with two to five knots of current, near zero visibility and difficult open ocean conditions,” Brooks said and complained that he did not have $ 2.5 million for suitable underwater equipment. So far, no one has succeeded in raising treasures from the bottom of the ocean.

500-year-old ship with $13 million worth of gold found in desert, 2016

Namibian diamond miners have stumbled upon the wreckage of a 500-year-old ship in the desert off the coast. The Portuguese ship Bom Jesus ("Good Jesus") disappeared in 1533 on its way to India. Found under a very impressive layer of sand, the ship rested on the site of an ancient man-made sea lagoon, which has now turned into a salt lake. In the hold were found gold and silver coins, as well as many elephant tusks. The total value of the goods is estimated at more than $13 million.

The ship was found by diamond miners after draining one of the salt lakes near the Skeleton Coast. From time to time ships are found in these places, but the Portuguese cargo ship is the oldest of all found and the only one whose cargo is of such value.

Items found on the ship, with a spade for scale: an astrolabe (center), a frying pan and some pottery. Things are well preserved. Prayer beads and a silver Portuguese coin.

In the holds were found many Spanish, Portuguese and Venetian gold coins, ivory from West Africa, German copper ingots, weapons and, of course, skeletons.

Everyone dreams of finding a treasure and getting rich overnight. This is supported by numerous stories about lost treasures that have not yet been found.

the Amber Room

The Amber Room was created in Prussia by the architect Eosander during the reign of King Frederick I, who spared no expense to equip his capital. According to his plan, Berlin in terms of luxury and wealth should have overtaken the French Versailles. Therefore, Queen Sophia-Charlotte ordered a royal office, entirely decorated with amber, which in those days was not inferior in value to silver.

But the customers never saw the results: the queen died in 1709, and the king in 1713. Their son, the practical Friedrich-Wilhelm I, refused to sponsor the expensive project in the future and presented the amber panels of the unfinished cabinet to Peter I. The Russian emperor wrote to his wife Catherine: “ The king gave me a fair present with a yacht, which is splendidly decorated in Potsdam, and an Amber cabinet, which had long been desired. In 1717, amber panels arrived in St. Petersburg with precise instructions for their installation. Only Peter's daughter, Elizaveta Petrovna, managed to use the gift. In 1743, she ordered the installation of amber panels in the Winter Palace. But apparently it was not the fate of the wealth of Frederick I to be in one place. Ten years later, the panel was transferred to the Grand (Ekaterininsky) Tsarskoye Selo Palace, where, under the guidance of the architect Rastrelli, it was supplemented with new details.

During the Second World War, the decoration of the precious room was stolen by the Germans and placed in the Amber Museum in the Königsberg Castle. This was the last place where it was shown. During entry Soviet troops to the city of Könisberg, the Amber Room disappeared without a trace, and its location is shrouded in a veil of mystery today. In 1981, it was decided to restore the Amber Room in its original form, and now it can be seen in the Grand Tsarskoye Selo Palace.

Theft at Lufthansa

The robbery aboard a Lufthansa plane is considered one of the largest in US history. It happened at Kennedy Airport (New York) on December 11, 1978. Approximately $5 million and $875,000 worth of jewelry were stolen. If we translate the value of the stolen, taking into account inflation and rising prices, to date, the amount will be 20 million dollars. One of the robbers was named Henry Hill, his image was embodied in the film "Goodfellas" by actor Ray Liott.

Valuables and money were never found, which was largely due to the inglorious end of the robbers themselves. Jimmy Brook, who led the robbery, got rid of the other participants in the crime, just in case, so that they would not become witnesses against him on occasion. In the end, he appropriated all the booty that he squandered on entertainment. Much of this wealth has never been discovered.

royal gold

By the start of World War I Russian empire had the largest gold reserves in the world, which was estimated at 1 billion 695 million rubles (1311 tons of gold, more than 60 billion dollars at the rate of the 2000s). During the First World War, Russia transferred a significant part of it to European banks as collateral for payment to the allies for the supply of weapons, gunpowder and food. After October 1917, no one began to return gold to the new authorities. Apparently, it continues to be stored in private banks in the US, UK and France.

After the February Revolution of 1917, the Provisional Government, in order to preserve the part of the gold reserves remaining after the transfer, evacuated it inland - to Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan. After the Bolsheviks came to power, Kazan gold fell into the hands of the White Guards and was transferred to Omsk at the disposal of Kolchak (650 million rubles or 505 tons). He, in turn, placed part of the national wealth in foreign banks - their further fate remains unclear. In 1919, Ataman Semyonov, one of Kolchak's subordinates, seized in Chita part of Kolchak's gold, which was sent to the United States as a guarantee of payment for the supply of weapons (33 boxes of gold). Semyonov forwarded this to Japanese banks for the supply of military products.

According to various estimates, the total value of Russia's gold reserves, which ended up in foreign banks, is estimated at 100 to 300 billion dollars.

Gold of Leon Trabucco

In the early 1930s, Mexican millionaire Leon Trabucco made several mysterious expeditions into the New Mexico desert. At the same time, the United States was under the influence of the "Great Depression" that broke out in 1929-1934 - the value of the dollar fell sharply, and gold rose incredibly in its price. Therefore, Trabucco and his partners decided to earn extra money by buying large reserves of gold in Mexico and transporting them to the United States in order to sell them profitably.

They set up their hiding place in the New Mexico desert in the southwestern United States. But in the end, the adventurers miscalculated badly. Under the Gold Reserve Act of 1934, private ownership of large gold reserves was made illegal. At this, luck literally turned away from them. Over the next five years, all of Trabucco's partners died, and Leon himself spent the rest of his life trying to sell the unfortunate gold to no avail. After his death, the location of the hidden treasures remained unknown.

Treasures of the Templars

The Order of the Templars (templars) was founded in the Holy Land after the First crusade a small group of knights led by Hugh de Payne. The order grew rich right before our eyes, especially due to its financial activities. They were the largest creditors in Europe - many European monarchs turned to them for money, which provided them with great political influence. According to the historian Lozinsky, the chief treasurer of the order was the chief treasurer of France.

As a result, they were ruined by their own wealth - at the beginning of the XIV century, the French king Philip the Handsome, greedy for someone else's good, took advantage of his influence on the Pope and initiated a process against the order. The Templars were suddenly outlawed. The surviving Templars transported part of the accumulated treasures on ships in an unknown direction. Subsequently, according to the legends, the Templar gold ended up in Nova Scotia - the territory of modern Canada. Some of it is believed to have been transported to Canada's Oak Island, where the descendants of the Knights of the Temple hid it in a trap-filled cache. But all this is just speculation. Whether there is still hidden wealth or over the past centuries it has already been divided many times - no one knows.

Treasure of Schultz

Dutch Schultz was one of the most famous American gangsters. During the era of "dry law" in the United States, he made a huge fortune through the so-called "wet business", that is, the sale of illegal alcohol in various cities of the States. Having fallen under the suspicion of the investigation, Schultz hid his fortune in the Catskill mountains (near New York).

Schultz took all the information about the exact location of his wealth with him to the grave. In the decades after Schultz's death (he died in 1975), the area was flooded more than once, which should have washed away the treasure. But so far, no information has been received about profits accidentally found during a walk along Catskill.

There are many mysterious secrets about treasures, especially those lost at sea during shipwrecks. Many people dream of finding a treasure, whether they believe in it or not. Most of the legendary treasures are associated with pirates whose ships were wrecked during battles or severe storms. How many sunken ships that store huge wealth are actually? Imagination draws boundless pictures of incredible treasures, and many enthusiasts actually spend a lot of time looking for them. Some claim that these are just fairy tales and legends, but others do believe that there are chests of gold waiting in the ocean floor. Luckily, there are enough volunteers who want to help unearth the biggest mysteries on the planet. In this compilation, a list of 10 legendary ocean treasures that have not yet been discovered.

Treasures of Blackbeard

In 1966, off the coast of North Carolina, archaeologists discovered the remains of a shipwreck, linking it to the ship of the famous pirate, nicknamed Blackbeard. But the catch is that not a single ounce of treasure was found anywhere around the ship. Blackbeard is the most infamous of all pirates, having amassed vast amounts of gold and other riches. Many assume that the treasure still rests somewhere off the coast of the Carolinas, but it is very difficult to determine its location. Even Beard himself once said that “only I and the devil know” where it is. According to rough estimates, the value of gold could be about $2.5 million.

Fortune Jean Lafitte

French pirate Jean Lafitte made a fortune by attacking merchant ships in Gulf of Mexico and then selling the stolen goods in one of the many ports he owned. Lafitte's accomplice was his brother Pierre. These two were so good at stealing and robbery that they amassed a lot of wealth and jewelry. As a result, the brothers had to hide their treasures somewhere, which gave rise to many secrets and legends. They had over 50 ships under their command, suggesting just how big the fortune was. After Lafitte's death in 1830, legends about his treasures began to spread around the world. It was said that part of his treasure was buried in "Lake Bourne", on the coast of New Orleans. Others said the possible site was about three miles east of the "Old Spanish Way", on the Sabine River. On the this moment no one has ever discovered the wealth, valued at about $2 million.

Wealth of Captain Kidd

Late 17th century pirate William "Captain" Kidd is the cause of many lost treasure myths. The Kid began plundering in 1698, attacking ships and amassing great wealth. But when he himself began to be hunted, Kidd decided to protect his treasures and began to hide them on various North American islands. Captain Kid was eventually captured and hanged, and his treasure is still buried in an unknown location. To add some realism to this myth, in the 1920s, four treasure maps hidden by "Captain" Kid were found in pieces of furniture believed to be his.

Money Pit Oak Island

The Money Pit, located in Nova Scotia, Canada, has spawned one of the longest treasure hunts in the world. For hundreds of years, hunters have come to Nova Scotia to try and find treasure, but come back empty-handed. In 1795, teenager Daniel McGinnis found a strange place on Oak Island where all the trees had been uprooted. Intrigued, he began earthworks in secret from the rest of the treasure seekers. He managed to find a message with a cipher message that two million pounds were buried in this place, at a depth of 40 feet. Unfortunately, due to many obstacles and strong water currents, no treasure could be found. There are several popular theories that are associated with the "Money Pit": The pit contains the treasures of pirates, or the missing priceless jewels of Marie Antoinette. There is also a version that the English professor Francis Bacon used the pit to hide documents proving that he was the author of Shakespeare's plays.

Treasures of Lima

During the revolt of Peru against Spain in 1820, the captain of a large British ship had to deliver treasures that belonged to the city of Lima. The shipment was estimated to be worth $60 million and included two life-size statues of the Holy Virgin, executed in solid gold, and 273 jeweled swords and candlesticks. Captain Thomas was quite greedy and killed all the passengers, after which he sailed to Cocos Island and hid the treasure in a cave, hoping to keep it all for himself. On his deathbed, he spoke a little about the location of his treasure, which has still not been found.

Treasures of John the Landless

In 1216 King John the Landless, also known as "The Bad One", was on his way to Lynn in Norfolk. Along the way, he fell ill with dysentery and decided he must return to his Newark Castle. He decided to make his way along the route around Walsh, with its dangerous mud traps and swamps. King John and his soldiers were making their way through the swamps with carts full of his royal regalia when they got into a deadly swamp. carts, full of treasures worth an estimated $70 million, including jewels, gold goblets, swords and coins, were lost and never found.

Nuestra Señora de Atocha

In 1622, the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha was returning to Spain full of gold, precious stones and rare silver when it was overtaken by a hurricane. The impact of the storm was so severe that the galleon was thrown onto a coral reef and instantly sank under the weight of the treasure. An immediate attempt was made to salvage the treasure, which included 17 tons of silver bars, 27 kilograms of emeralds, 35 boxes of gold and 128,000 coins. Other ships were sent to the place where Nuestra Señora de Atocha sank. Unfortunately, a second hurricane struck and destroyed any attempt to save the treasure. The crash site was never found again, until recently. In 1985, treasure hunter Mel Fisher found a $500 million piece of treasure less than 100 miles off the coast of Key West. However, experts believe that approximately $200 million worth of treasure is still at the bottom somewhere.

Legend of the Golden Man

There has long been a myth surrounding Lake Guatavita in the Colombian Andes. He talked about Inca gold hidden at the bottom. The most popular theory is that the Golden Man, known as "Eldorado", once dived into the sacred lake and his followers brought gold and jewels here as a show of devotion. As a result, many have visited the area in an attempt to discover the treasure. Since the arrival of the Spanish in 1536, 100 kilograms of gold artifacts have been mined from the muddy bottom of Lake Guatavita. In 1968, a gold bar was discovered in a cave, once again resurrecting the legend of El Dorado, or the "Golden Man".

Treasures of San Miguel

In 1715 Spain assembled a fleet of ships brimming with pearls, silver, gold and jewelry worth about $2 billion. The ships were sent out of Cuba just before the hurricane season to prevent a pirate takeover attempt. This turned out to be a bad idea, as the entire fleet of 11 ships was sunk just six days after leaving. As a result, $2 billion is still at the bottom of the sea. After this catastrophic event, 7 of the ships were discovered, but only a small amount of valuable treasure was recovered. It is believed that the Treasures of San Miguel may be close to the eastern shores of Florida.

Gold Flor de Mar

A 400-ton Portuguese ship called the Flor De Mar (Flower of the Sea) was caught off guard in a violent storm in 1511. It was shipwrecked on the reefs of Sumatra, split in two, and all the treasure was lost at sea. The story goes that the Flor De Mar was carrying around 60 tons of gold, the largest treasure ever collected in the history of the Portuguese Navy. No wonder the Flor De Mar has become one of the most wanted treasures in history.

Many treasures have been found throughout the world. The most interesting and valuable for collectors are those treasures in which there were old coins. Where else can you feel the real breath of history? It is worth noting that huge and valuable treasures were found by treasure hunters and simply ordinary people and in Russia. The finder is entitled to a certain percentage of the find, 25%, everything else is supposed to be transferred in favor of the state, as the cultural heritage of Russia. But those who found the largest treasures in Russia, the funds received will be enough for a comfortable life not only for themselves, but also for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Interesting
Most big treasure in the world was discovered in India. It consisted of a huge variety of gold coins and large ingots, the total weight of everything found was about two tons.

There were also several large containers, filled to the brim with diamonds, completed all this splendor with a necklace of diamonds as long as five and a half meters. But scientists do not consider this to be the most remarkable and valuable find. Most of all, those who found it were struck by the beautiful statue of the god Vishu, completely cast from the purest gold. Its height is 1.2 meters.

A rather large treasure was also found in the UK. Its total mass was 70 kg, it was discovered on the distant island of Jersey. The find is remarkable in that it is very ancient: historians jointly estimated its age at 2000 years.

The treasure consisted of gold and silver coins. These banknotes were in circulation among one of the Celtic tribes of coriosolites, who inhabited the territories in the north of the province that currently bears the name of Brittany. Experts believe that such a mass of money, unimaginable even by today's standards, was hidden by the French Celts on this island immediately before the attack of Rome, its legionnaires in the 1st century. BC e. mastered these lands, while conquering different tribes of the Gauls.

Not very long ago, 4 years ago, there was a happy accident. The ship managed to lift an incredible treasure from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, its mass was about 48 tons of pure silver. This is the biggest load these days. precious metal, of all those located in the depths of the ocean. Its cost is incredibly huge and amounts to approximately 38 million dollars! The ship, which had such a unique chance to remain in history, was called the "Gersoppa", it was almost next to the coast of Ireland. The jewels were not pirate ship, as you might first think, but on a simple military transport ship. This ship sank back in 1941 as a result of an irreparable torpedo hit by German troops.

The largest treasures of Russia

Russia also boasts beautiful and indeed very valuable finds worth several million dollars. The largest treasure in the history of Russia is the sensational treasure of the Naryshkins. It was found in 2012 by an ordinary worker, who then carried out the restoration of the beautiful mansion of this fabulously wealthy family.

This person has simply failed. secret room, in which all kinds of bags and boxes were instructed. When describing the find, it became known that there were 2168 objects in total. This famous find included 5 almost complete sets of silver, where the ceremonial table service stood out, which included more than 200 copies of the famous Sazikov company. There were even items from Faberge and Keibel in the found jewelry. This incredible treasure is estimated by experts at $4 million, or 189 million rubles.

Very famous in history is the treasure found by the parishioners of the Church of the Archangel Michael, which at that time was under restoration. The temple is located in the village of Yusovo. Apparently found by parishioners royal coins and three military medals were the savings of this church, consisting of donations from Christians. Most likely they had to be hidden in 1914, but despite the age of the coins, they are perfectly preserved, there is practically no corrosion on the found specimens.

Interesting
Among the coins, the oldest one dates from 1736, and the newest of them belong to the 1914 kopecks. The denomination of coins is small, a copy of the largest denomination is one ruble.

There are not so many silver coins, only 716 pieces, the rest are smelted from ordinary copper. Copies are very worn, others do not even show what kind of coin it is. Parishioners are going to spend the reward for the find on the further restoration of the church.

Another find is also known at the church. This church treasure was found in Vologda and was considered the largest, it was found in 1951. Treasures were accidentally discovered by workers who broke the wall of the basement of the Church of George on Navolok. When the wall broke through, a stream of 17th-century silver coins literally poured on people. The coins turned out to be pennies, their total number was immediately 46 thousand copies.

How is the treasure hunt going?

Treasure hunting is impossible without one very important and necessary thing, a metal detector. Now they are constantly improving and are already able to not only feel the metal and give a signal, but also show a number that indicates a certain type of metal. Also, the device can show the depth at which the metal object is located and even the estimated size of the future find! Some of them even know how to identify gold nuggets and distinguish them from the rest.

In order to start searching for treasure, you need to properly prepare. For starters, you should go to a good, large library and carefully study old reference books and maps. From them you can determine the place where you can find treasures. After choosing, you need to find this place in Russia, and, if you're lucky, dig up a real treasure there.

With the found objects, there is also a long work to be done at home. First, everything that can be cleaned must be put in order, only very carefully so as not to damage it. Then, using special catalogs and reference books, it is necessary to determine what exactly was found, whether it is a valuable thing or just a trinket.