The world’s unluckiest band of thieves fled after crashing their car into a building, not knowing they had just opened the entrance to a secret area containing a medieval treasure.
Thinking that there was an ATM in a convenience store, a group of unidentified thieves crashed into the wall of a building in Dedham village (UK) at night but failed to achieve their goal.
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Archaeologists excavated the “medieval treasure” that the band of thieves accidentally opened the entrance to – photo: LIVE SCIENCE
Because the convenience store was located in an ancient building built in 1520, on the list of preserved buildings, a team of experts from the local archaeological agency Colchester Archaeological Trust (CAT) took over the scene. .
They suddenly discovered that the thieves’ vandalism had accidentally collapsed part of the house, thereby revealing previously unknown secret areas.
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The old building where the convenience store is located is being repaired – photo: East Anglian Daily Times
That secret area contains a treasure. The theft occurred last December and archaeologists spent nearly a year excavating and studying valuable artifacts in the house. The artifacts mainly belong to the Tudor period (1485-1603).
The reason the house is filled with antiques and has secret structures is because when it was built in 1520, it was the residence of an extremely wealthy merchant.
The funniest thing is that during the process of digging for artifacts hidden in the basement of the house, the archaeological team dug up a three-legged cauldron buried at the entrance of the house. This artifact was once considered by medieval Europeans as a protective object, preventing evil people from entering the house. Many people joke that perhaps this ancient magic spell worked at just the right time.
According to Colchester District Council, excavation work has now been completed and the convenience store reopened on October 30. The building is reinforced with a number of steel structures to prevent further visits from thieves
