In my research for story ideas for my current work in progress, I came across buried treasure rumors from all around Bellhammer, Illinois. My guys from back home are always in for a treasure hunt, but this led me to learn of several instances of buried treasure I had never heard of.
Decebalus Treasure
The treasures of Decebalus were also discovered, though hidden beneath the river Sargetia, which ran past his palace. With the help of some captives Decebalus had diverted the course of the river, made an excavation in its bed, and into the cavity had thrown a large amount of silver and gold and other objects of great value that could stand a certain amount of moisture; then p389 he had heaped stones over them and piled on earth, afterwards bringing the river back into his course. 5 He also had caused the same captives to deposit his robes and other articles of a like nature in caves, and after accomplishing this had made away with them to prevent them from disclosing anything. But Bicilis, a companion of his who knew what had been done, was seized and gave information about these things.
Dio Cassius LXVIII.14.4
Yeah, dude basically rerouted an entire river to hide his treasure.
Oak Island Mystery
Oak Island, Nova Scotia was bought out in recent years by a guy named Dan Blankenship. “Michigan Group” became the name of the new venture, but it seems like this place has rumored to hold Captain Kidd’s treasure.
Some teenage boy in the late 1700’s stumbled on an indentation that, once dug out, revealed all of these wooden platforms and wooden ladders about a hundred feet down. They call that the Money Pit.
There’s also weird aches and artifacts that have been discovered. Apparently a great many people have searched the place.
The treasure of Lima
Apparently Spanish controlled Peru has some stories as well, what with Captain William Thompson of the Mary Dear sending the riches north to Mexico. They apparently slit the throats of the priests they were ferrying and then buried the treasure at the Cocos Island. German and New Zealander explorers as well as American gangsters tried and failed to find it.
Costa Rica eventually put a stop to it, so any story ideas suggesting a treasure hunt will need to keep that one in mind.
Thomas Tew’s treasure chest…
…is said to reside at the St. Augustine Pirate treasure museum. Who knows if it’s really the real thing, but it will actually give you an idea of what some of these buried treasures looked like. Which might help give you some stories ideas to that front.
I suppose if nothing else, these chests make really good prisons for gnome tricksters.
And, I suppose, gives a whole new meaning to the threat I WILL BURY YOU.
Samuel Pepy’s cheese hoard… and $200 million heist story ideas?
During the Great Fire of London, folks buried all kinds of precious possessions. Samuel Pepy’s?
Dude buried his cheese.
No really.
His cheese.
Turns out over 300,000 wheels of Parmesan cheese are stored in the bank vaults in Italy as a sort of collateral on loans. They’re worth $200 million together, that’s almost a thousand dollars apiece. I suppose I can think of a few more discrete ways to carry that kind of cash, but if you’re cruising around for story ideas, why not:
THE GREAT ITALIAN CHEESE CAPER
…or heist. Wouldn’t want folks thinking you got your food groups confused.
Fenn Treasure came from a story idea
Came from an eccentric author who left clues to a buried treasure in his memoir Trill of the Chase. Apparently:
Forrest Fenn’s bronze treasure chest showcases a similar art style to the written imagery found in the Le Roman de la Rose poem. The chest lid, front, back, and side panels feature maidens on top of the walls of the Castle of Love and knights scaling the walls on ladders below.
These chest pictures were taken in Forrest Fenn’s studio by photographer Addison Doty of Santa Fe, NM before the chest was hidden in the Rocky Mountains. They were later included in the Forrest Fenn’s book, The Thrill of The Chase. The multiple versions of the photos included here are from direct scans of the pictures in the book as well as the digital photographs.
In interviews Forrest Fenn stated his bronze chest weights about 22 pounds and has dimensions of 10″x10″x5″.
—Forrest Fenn’s Bronze chest
Of course, some called him a fraud. But it seems like he really just wanted to give folks a good time — it was, in a way, his story ideas that led him to it. The thrill of the chase or, as Robert W. Service said:
It isn’t the gold that I’m wanting
— Robert W. Service
so much as just finding the gold.
Here’s where it was found:
It was under a canopy of stars in the lush, forested vegetation of the Rocky Mountains and had not moved from the spot where I hid it more than 10 years ago. I do not know the person who found it, but the poem in my book led him to the precise spot.
I congratulate the thousands of people who participated in the search and hope they will continue to be drawn by the promise of other discoveries.
So the search is over. Look for more information and photos in the coming days.
— Dal Neitzel
What’s the difference between buried treasure and a hoard?
Strictly speaking, one man’s hoard is another man’s buried treasure. But then again, the point of a hoard is a sort of wealth preservation. But that’s not the sort of thing we’re mentioning above. None of the above, as it turns out, is to be confused for the vast story ideas that come from hoards. I don’t have time to deal with them all, but here’s the links to the wikipedia pages:
Africa
Asia
- Akota Bronzes
- Bactrian Gold
- Chausa hoard
- Copper Hoard Culture
- Kfar Monash Hoard
- Priam’s Treasure
- Wonoboyo hoard
- Ziwiye hoard
Europe
Great Britain and the Channel Islands
- Beau Street Hoard
- Bitterley Hoard
- Canterbury-St Martin’s hoard
- Cheapside Hoard
- Collette Hoard
- Corbridge Hoard
- Cuerdale Hoard
- Cunetio Hoard
- Frome Hoard
- Galloway Hoard
- Grouville Hoard
- Havering hoard
- Hexham Hoard
- Hoxne Hoard
- Isleham Hoard
- Kirkoswald Hoard
- Lenborough Hoard
- Leominster hoard
- Middleham Hoard
- Migdale Hoard
- Mildenhall Treasure
- Milton Keynes Hoard
- Rogiet Hoard
- Shapwick Hoard
- Shrewsbury Hoard
- Silsden Hoard
- Snettisham Hoard
- St Leonard’s Place Hoard
- Staffordshire Hoard
- Stanchester Hoard
- Stirling Hoard
- Talnotrie Hoard
- Thetford Hoard
- Thornbury Hoard
- Tregwynt Hoard
- Upchurch Hoard
- Vale of York Hoard (previously known as Harrogate hoard)
- Water Newton Treasure
- West Bagborough Hoard
- West Yorkshire Hoard
- Wickham Market Hoard
- Winchester Hoard
- Wold Newton hoard
Ireland
Continental
- Lampsacus Treasure, Turkey
- First Cyprus Treasure, Cyprus
- Berthouville Treasure, France (relating to the Romans)
- Borovo Treasure, part of the Thracian treasure
- Broighter Gold, Northern Ireland (relating to the Iron Age La Tène culture)
- Casco de Leiro, Spain (relating to the Bronze Age)
- Chatuzange Treasure, France (relating to Roman silver)
- Cheste hoard, Spain (relating to the Second Punic War)
- Eberswalde Hoard, Germany (relating to the Bronze Age)
- Paramythia Hoard, Greece (relating to Greco-Roman artefacts)
- Pereshchepina Treasure, Ukraine (relating to the Bulgars)
- Pietroasele Treasure, Romania (relating to the Goths)
- Preslav Treasure, Bulgaria (relating to the Byzantines)
- Reka Devnia Hoard, Bulgaria (relating to the Romans)
- Saka Hoard, Estonia (12th century)
- Sevso Treasure, possibly Hungary (relating to the Romans)
- Treasure of El Carambolo, Spain (relating to the Tartessians)
- Treasure of Gourdon, France (gold from 5th or 6th century)
- Treasure of Guarrazar, Spain (relating to the Visigoths)
- Treasure of Villena, Spain (relating to the Bronze Age)
- Ubina Hoard, Estonia (12th century)
- Vinkovci Treasure
Scandinavia
- Molnby Hoard, Sweden (relating to the Viking age)
- Sandur Hoard, Faroe Islands (relating to the Viking age)
- Spillings Hoard, Sweden (relating to the Viking age)
- Sundveda Hoard, Sweden (relating to the Viking age)
North America
Middle East[edit]
- Megiddo Treasure, a hoard found at Tel Megiddo, Israel
- Nahal Mishmar hoard
- Kaper Koraon Treasure, Syria
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