According to scientists, there are still many hidden treasures in the world that are mentioned in history books, but have not been found yet, so they can be considered as legendary treasures. Their total value is estimated at $900 billion. How far have people explored them and what is their legality?
1. Legendary treasures
Treasure of the Incas
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More than 4 centuries have passed, the search for treasure has never stopped in the Peruvian forests, high plateaus and dangerous caves of the Andes, the country of the Inca Indians. . According to legend, the Inca king Ataualpy was taken prisoner by the Spanish colonialists. The colonist Pisarro promised to release him if within two months the royal family gathered enough gold for him to fill the king’s prison room.
The royal family took the entire state treasury and scoured the country for 50 cubic meters of gold, along with a lot of jewels and gems, but still could not fill that room. The deadline has expired. Pisarro hanged the king. Hearing that the king had died, gold carriers arrived, on the backs of 11,000 American camels (lamas) and took the gold and hid it somewhere unknown in the Andes.
Mackena’s treasure
Legend has it that on Bach Son mountain, not far from Kenab city in the state of Utah, USA, there is a secret valley with gold piled up to the top that was hidden by the Indians for hundreds of years to avoid falling into the hands of thieves. Spanish colonists. During the past 450 years, many search groups have searched but no one has discovered this hidden place. The value of the treasure is estimated at 10 billion dollars.
Treasure of the Knights Templar (Knights Templar)
The treasure “The Poor Knights of Christ” – such a modest name – is located in the fortified Tample castle on the outskirts of Paris, in the 13th century. It seems that no one has been able to penetrate the fortresses because of the system. The alarm system is sensitive and dense, and death awaits. But no wall could save the knights, when, on King Philippe’s orders, the army, armed to the teeth, attacked. He did not leave alone the huge amount of gold collected from the Crusades spanning several centuries and hidden here. But when the soldiers conquered the castle, there was nothing left. How long has the treasure been hidden? Where? Until now it is still a mystery.
The Library of Ivan the Terrible
In the opinion of historians, the famous library of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, which has not yet been found, is only a small part of the treasure. The main value of the mythical library is the ancient manuscripts written in Greek and Latin. People last saw them in the underground vaults under Queen Sophia’s Kremlin in 1692. In 1997, the Russian government formed a delegation to search for this Library without any results.
Treasure of Genghis Khan
At the burial place, people brought all the great wealth of this great khan to bury. According to the hypothesis, the place where this treasure is buried is located in the Avgrava region in Central Mongolia. Before he died, Genghis Khan requested that all traces of his tomb be erased. His wish was fulfilled: during the burial, people drove a cavalry team across, plowed a large area and then killed all those who carried it out and witnessed it.
Treasure Island
The island described in Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island is actually called Kokos, and hides a treasure that has yet to be found. According to rumors, the pirates brought here a statue of the Goddess made of pure gold weighing 500kg, with many gems of all kinds that they stole from Peru. According to documents, on this island there is also a treasure trove of 50 chests filled with worship objects, decorated with 600 very large rubies, 200 sapphires and diamonds, and 9,000 minted gold coins. in Mexico.
2. Recently discovered priceless relics
2005: On Mac-a-Tierra Island, Chile (Robinson Crusoe Island), people found ancient gold coins and very rare Inca worship statues, worth a total of 10 billion dollars. The treasure search team sponsored by the Wagner Company claimed ownership of the objects they found.
2003: In Florida, treasure seekers picked up a block of dark green jade, weighing over 40 karat, worth over $1 million at the site of a Spanish warship named Santa. Margarita, sunk nearly four centuries ago.
2003: From the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, the ship of the Republic of S.S. Sunk in 1865 carrying $180 million in coins, intended to be used to restore the Republics in South America after the civil war of 1861-1865.
2002: British geological exploration company Subsea Explorer Ltd. The site of the sinking of Oliver Cromwell’s fleet on the Scottish coast has been discovered. The value of the sunken treasure on the ship is estimated at $3 billion.
1985: An American diver, Melville Fischer, recovered $400 million worth of gems, gold and silver from a Spanish shipwreck.
3. Division of benefits
According to the Law of the Russian Federation, if there is no prior agreement, the found treasure will be divided in two, between the owner of the land where the treasure is located and the person who found it. If the land owner has accurate information about what is in that treasure, he or she will enjoy it in full. If the relics found are of historical or cultural significance, they must be handed over to the state with compensation. The land owner and the excavator will split the state compensation amount in half.
French law also divides found treasure between the person who owns the land and the person who is credited with finding it.
And England is different. There are strict limits: any discovery must be notified to the British Archaeological Council. The information is then passed on to scientists. In 2 weeks, the excavation of the treasure will be carried out with the participation of the police for evaluation by a Council of Museums and antiquities collectors. If the Museum does not believe the excavated items have historical or cultural significance, then private individuals may be allowed to excavate.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, the right to exploit treasure belongs to the land owner. Only some Federal lands are managed by local governments.
The United States Congress specifically approved the exploration and exploitation of treasures. Anything located 3 nautical miles offshore belongs to the State. Ships sunk in this area are national assets. Any related activities must be approved by the government.
According to International Law, any country that owns sunken ships is entitled to half the value of the treasure. After that, the division is carried out according to the agreement between the country whose territorial waters (in which the ship sank) and the salvage company.
