People have never given up the desire to find ancient treasures. While many have dedicated their entire lives to searching for gold without finding it, others have stumbled upon ancient treasures completely by accident. Many of these stories have happy endings, with priceless gold treasures now residing in museums, while others say people are desecrating and looting graves in the black market antiquities trade. Here we look at ten of the most spectacular gold treasures of 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 en route to Spain on September 4, 1622. These ships carried the wealth of the empire, carrying soldiers, passengers and slaves. The next day, as 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 carried treasures from Colombia, Peru and other regions of South America: 24 tons of silver in 1038 bars, 18,000 silver coins, 82 copper bars, 125 gold bars, 525 bales of tobacco, 20 bronze cannons, etc. Spanish archaeologists searched for the "Nuestra Señora de Atocha" for 60 years but never found it.
The ship was discovered in July 1985 by treasure diver Mel Fisher, who spent 16 years searching for the Nuestra Señora de Atocha, starting in 1969. Treasures and artifacts worth nearly half a billion dollars have been brought to the surface, the largest discovery ever made. Artifacts from the Atocha are now part of the collection of the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society Museum in Florida.
Bronze Age treasures from Bush Barrow burial 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 just 800 m from Stonehenge, in the town of Bush Barrow. In the 4,000-year-old mound, Cunnington found jewelry, a gold diamond clasp and an intricately decorated dagger.
The dagger's handle is decorated with approximately 140,000 tiny gold pins, only a third of a millimeter wide, made from extremely thin gold wire that is slightly thicker than a human hair. The end of the wire was flattened and cut 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 pins using tree resin. It is believed that the entire process of creating the dagger's handle took about 2,500 hours.
Treasures of Malagan in Colombia: gold and greed
In 1992, a sugarcane farm employee was working on a tractor in Hacienda Malagana, in the Cauca Valley. Suddenly the ground gave way, and he and the tractor fell into the resulting hole. The worker noticed shiny gold objects in the dirt. Upon closer inspection, he realized that he had found a huge treasure. He spoke about the treasures he found, including gold masks, armbands, jewelry and other precious relics. He was soon joined by other workers and locals who learned of the treasure 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 in what has been described as the "Malagan Gold Rush".
Almost four tons of pre-Columbian artifacts were stolen, melted down or sold to collectors. Hundreds of graves were destroyed and looted. The Museo del Oro in Bogota reportedly acquired some of the stolen gold artifacts in late 1992. About 150 gold objects were eventually bought by the museum from looters for 500 million pesos ($300,000) in an attempt to preserve the artifacts. Unfortunately, robberies continue at Hacienda Malagana, with several incidents reported in 2012.
Eberswalde treasure: golden treasury from the Bronze Age, Germany
The Eberswalde treasure was discovered in 1913 during excavations in an area northeast of Berlin. This treasure is one of the most priceless treasuries in the country, it is the largest prehistoric collection of gold objects in Germany. The treasure 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 date back to the 10th-11th centuries.
The purpose of the Eberswalde hoard is unknown, although one scholar has suggested that it was sacred objects, as vases were the most common type of sacred offering in the Bronze Age. All artifacts are believed to be Villena style jewelry due to their similarity to the Villena treasures of the Iberian Peninsula. The treasure is currently in Russia and Germany is trying to return it.
Treasures of Priam: gold of the legendary Troy, Türkiye
In the 19th century, the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann began searching legendary city Troy to prove that he really existed. His research was marked by success and the Hizarlik hills in Turkey, where Schliemann conducted excavations, are today recognized as the site of ancient Troy. 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, Priam's treasures are in Russia.
After finding the location of the legendary Troy, Schliemann discovered the final resting place of Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae who led the Greek army during the Trojan War. Schliemann made an impressive discovery - the golden mask of Agamemnon.
In 1876, Schliemann began excavations at Mycenae under the auspices of the Greek Archaeological Society. Schliemann's workers excavated a stele marking a burial 27.5 meters across that included 5 Bronze Age graves. Excavations have shown that they contained the remains of several Mycenaean chiefs, five of whom wore golden masks. In a telegram to King George of Greece, Schliemann proudly declared: “It is with great joy that I announce to Your Majesty that I have discovered the tombs in which, according to the description of Pausanias, are buried Agamemnon, Cassandra, Eurymedon and their comrades, killed at the feast of Clytemnestra and her lover 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 from gold sheets by hammering. Of the five golden masks, this was the only one that depicted 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 signaled that he had found a metal object. Herbert started digging and found gold. Over five days, Herbert filled 244 bags with gold objects dug from the soil. He realized that the site might have great historical significance and contacted local authorities. Archaeologists from Birmingham Archeology soon began excavations at the site and found more than 3,500 objects, including 5 kg of gold and 1.3 kg of silver. This is the largest known treasure of Anglo-Saxon gold.
Some of the items from the treasure were exhibited at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Their value is £3.3 million (approximately $5.4 million). Most researchers agree that all the artifacts date back to the 17th century, although it is not yet known when they were actually buried and for what purpose.
Man from Varna, rich grave 5th millennium BC, Bulgaria
In 1970, archaeologists in Bulgaria discovered a huge Chalcolithic necropolis containing gold artifacts first discovered near modern-day Varna. Only after excavating burial No. 43 did they understand 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 arose on the Black Sea coast about 7,000 years ago, in the territory of modern 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, dishes 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 operator Raicho Marinov stumbled upon a huge Chalcolithic necropolis containing untold gold treasures. More than 300 graves were discovered in the necropolis, 22,000 exquisite artifacts, including 3,000 gold objects weighing a total of 6 kilograms, as well as stone tools, jewelry, Mediterranean mollusk shells, ceramics, knives and beads.
Secret storage room in a Scythian burial mound. Use of drugs in rituals. Russia
In 2013, gold artifacts containing traces of cannabis and opium were discovered in a secret room hidden in an ancient Scythian burial mound near Stavropol. Called the discovery of the century, the gold artifacts and drugs point to ancient rituals described by Greek historian Herodotus.
The Scythian mound was discovered during the construction of a power line in the Caucasus Mountains, southern Russia. It was determined that the 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 gold cups. The vessels are richly decorated with embossing depicting highly detailed dramatic scenes of battle, animals and people.
Criminologists analyzed the black residue found on the walls of the gold vessels. The results confirmed that it was opium and hashish, so the researchers concluded that the Scythians performed rituals using drugs, as Herodotus reported.
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 burial site in the region.
In the center of the tomb, measuring 5 by 5 meters, was a wooden sarcophagus - the first of its kind found in the Northern 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 into the afterlife. Analysis of the iconographic images found in the tomb suggests that this man was a warrior-priest and a prominent ruler of the Lambayeque Valley.
There were Jewelry of gold, silver and copper, including a headdress with a huge crescent moon and plume of feathers, masks, glass beads, necklaces, rings, earrings, a gold scepter, plates of gilded metal sewn onto cotton cloth, and trapezoidal sheets of hammered gold that warriors attached to the back of their suits. The necklaces were made of gold and silver in the shape of peanuts, an important food item for the Moche people.
Ten golden peanut kernels made 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, the tomb contained many ceremonial items such as tropical sea shells, silver and gold rattles, knives, a gold death mask, gold bells, and three other beaded headdresses. In total, the tomb contained more than 450 gold, silver, copper and other objects.
Incredible facts
With the amazing advancements in technology, one would think that all lost treasures are either rumors or something that has already been found. However, talk of huge amounts of gold and jewelry abounds in the 21st century.
For example, in 2007, the lost treasure of Captain William Kidd was found off the coast of Colombia. This suggests that there are similar “victories” in our century.
Incredibly, treasure hunters should be sure to take out insurance against various hazards, because in the past, treasure hunters could not only get seriously injured, but also go to jail and even die.
Lost Treasures
10. Yamashita Treasures on the Philippine Island
There is an island in Palawan, Philippines - Bacuit Bay - which is a treasure in itself. The island is a small bay, and it is famous for the legendary story of the lost treasures of Tomoyuki Yamashita.
It is believed that Japanese General Tomoyuki hid the treasure in the island's caves around the 1940s. Yamashita obtained his treasure by stealing from neighboring countries during the 1930s, shortly before the outbreak of World War II.
Yamashita looted his goods in Malaysia, India, Thailand and Burma. All this was sent to the Philippines to be sent from there to the final destination, which was Japan. Unfortunately for Yamashita, Japan surrendered just as he was in the Philippines.
Before the general was captured and hanged, he managed to hide his treasures in 172 places on the island, because Yamashita and his team believed that they would definitely return and take their treasures.
According to some sources, the general's loot could be worth billions today. In the 1970s, Rogelio Roxas found some of the treasure that had been confiscated by President Ferdinand Marcos.
However, Roxas sued and received compensation of $22 billion. Although the Marcos and Rojos families continue to fight in court to this day, there are still many caves with undiscovered treasures on the island.
9. Pisco Church Treasure Chest
Four soldiers from the Peruvian army in the mid-1800s hatched a plan to outsmart the priests of the Pisco Church after learning what treasure they held.
Luke Barrett, Arthur Brown, Jack Killorain and Diego Alvarez gained the trust of the clergy of the Peruvian church, then killed them and sailed away with 14 tons of gold and other goods.
Unfamiliar with the geography of the area, the killers drew a map, abandoned their loot, and headed to Australia, hoping to return. However, things never came to a return, because two of them were killed and two more were arrested.
Only Killoraine was able to survive prison. Before his death, he told Charles Howe about the robbery of the Pisco Church, as well as where the treasure was hidden. When Howie found the treasure, he didn't have necessary equipment to extract everything.
He left the treasure with the thought of returning. However, he was never able to raise the money to return, but revealed the secret to George Hamilton, who eventually went in search of the treasure, but did not find it because he could not decipher the map.
8. Lu's Treasure Map
The only ones legendary treasures that have a map directing you to 14 tons of gold is Lu.
As mysterious as the code to them, it has long been assumed that the only tool for deciphering the cards is a key and a clear understanding of Masonic symbolism.
Supposedly located on the territory of the United States, according to legend, the treasure of Lue is 14 tons of gold. Gold was brought to the United States by the Nazis in order to sabotage the American economy and prevent Americans from entering World War II.
Having learned about this, the USA issued the Gold Act, designed to circumvent the Nazi plan. The Nazis' failed attempt to keep the United States out of the war was not their only failure. Unable to decipher Lou's map because its Nazi creator had died, they eventually returned to Germany.
7. White city La Ciudad Blanca
The ghostly golden city fascinated many people at one time. Herman Cortes came across it in 1526, and Cristobol de Pedraza in 1544.
Archaeologist William Strong discovered "archaeological mounds" in 1933 near Rio Patuca and Rio Conquirre, further adding fuel to the legend of the city's existence. "The nobles ate from golden plates."
In February 2013, archaeologists and other researchers from the National Science Foundation and the University of Houston used advanced light-imaging technology and laser rangefinders to map and study ancient ruins.
The final verdict has not yet been made, but it will soon be known whether there is gold at the site being explored or not.
Treasures of Genghis Khan
6. Treasures of Genghis Khan in Issyk-Kul
There are various legends surrounding Lake Issyk-Kul. From the hidden treasures of the Knights Templar to the mysterious jewels of the golden path, this place is rife with stories of this kind.
One of the most famous legends tells of the commander Genghis Khan, who was supposedly buried with his treasures. According to some legends, the treasures are located in the lake itself, while others say their location is uncertain.
According to reports, his soldiers killed everyone who knew about the location of the tomb, and when they returned from the burial place, they were also killed.
Genghis Khan amassed his fortune by conquering much of Central Asia and China in the 13th century, and the spoils from conquering these countries were simply incalculable.
The excavations, which began in the 1920s, could not be completed due to the unstable political situation. Since then, many attempts have been made by Japanese and American researchers who believed that they had found the tomb of Genghis Khan, however, to this day, no treasure has been discovered.
Lost treasures
5. Santissima Concepcion
Florida's hurricane season has resulted in many shipwrecks throughout history. One of the most notable victims of the rampant disaster was the wreck of Santissima Concepcion or El Grande.
According to some sources, there were 500 people on board; according to various sources of information, from 4 to 190 people survived, who were able to describe what they experienced. In addition to the number of people, the documents also recorded the goods present on board: 77 chests of pearls and 49 chests of emeralds.
After the shipwreck, numerous attempts were made to find the treasure, but all of them remained fruitless. Sir William Phipp is believed to have recovered about 25 percent of the sunken treasure during his 1687 expedition.
4. Icelander Gold SS
Ironically, the SS Icelander, a ship that sank in 1901, was salvaged in 2012, but without any gold. Why is it on this list? The Mars Expedition Company believes that the gold may be located at some distance from the ship due to the ship's movement.
On the raised ship, experts found gold dust and pieces of gold, but that was all. Experts from the expedition company say that the ship should have had gold worth $250 million.
Thus, another expedition is planned. Part of the ship can be seen on the shores of Admiral Island, while the remainder is located in Seattle.
3. Lost Treasures of Antilla
Those looking for the lost treasure of Antilla, the wreck of a German fighter ship, will need to explore the northern part Caribbean Sea surrounding the island of Aruba.
It is said that Antilla was moored at northern shore islands when the ship was “asked” to capitulate. While the skipper was on shore, negotiating, the ship's outboard valve was open, this was a fatal mistake for the life of the ship.
Instead of "giving up and losing its treasure," the ship exploded and sank. This ghost ship, as the locals call it, remains to this day as a tribute to German soldiers during World War II.
2. Treasures of the Apache Indians
In addition to various stories of ghostly treasures, there are also real lost riches. One of these stories includes treasures of the Apache Indians. There are rumors that the Indians, having plundered a huge amount of gold and silver coins, hid them in the rock.
The Lost Treasure is located in Winchester, Arizona. Despite the fact that the place in the rocky area where the wealth is hidden is considered cursed, this does not stop hunters for precious metals.
1. Treasures from Adams' Lost Excavations
To find the canyon that "cries tears of gold," you'll need to head to Adams' Lost Dig in western New Mexico. Adams made his first trip to this region in the early 1860s.
Adams and a team of miners moved along the White River towards the White Mountains and discovered gold nuggets, hidden in the "corn-cereal" pool.
On the second night, Adams left the gold mine while the miners remained digging until they were killed by Apache Indians. It is said that Adams was never able to find his golden canyon again.
Tale of beautiful life has been troubling minds for many hundreds of years. For these people it has become a reality! It was as if they were transported to the page of a story about pirates, found a treasure and became unusually rich. Was it really that simple? The most important thing is whether the dream of a luxurious life has come true?
Top most famous treasures
Few people have not heard about the gold of the tomb of Ur. This ancient city, located in Mesopotamia, began to be explored about a hundred years ago. The excavations were led by archaeologist Leonard Woolley.For a long time, excavations did not lead to anything, says the man. “People already thought that we wouldn’t find anything and wanted to leave.” It was decided to begin exploring the cemetery. It was very boring. And here...
It turned out that there was another burial hidden under the cemetery. There was little work, and then the amazed researchers discovered a golden helmet, beads and bowls... And in 1932, in the Mexican south, scientists found a thirteenth-century treasure!
It was buried by a highly developed Indian nation. Many, many years ago, they built buildings here, made jewelry and jewelry, says archaeologist Alfonso Caso. - First we found the tomb. But for a long time they could not open it...
For three months Alfonso struggled with the riddle, but was finally able to solve it. When he entered the tomb, the light of a lit lantern fell on the gold jewelry. The amazed scientist saw amber, corals and pearl necklaces. But the most important thing is the precious mask of God...
The treasure of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple was discovered in 2011. Scientists, as usual, did not expect to find anything large. No one could even think that real treasures were hidden here. In the basement of the ancient temple there were chests with gold coins and precious stones, and in the middle of all this is a statue of the god Vishnu, made of pure gold!
The largest treasures in Russia
1. The treasure of the famous Lenka Panteleev, the famous bandit, was only partially found. Although operatives shot the thief in 1923, all the wealth that he stole disappeared somewhere. They say that it is literally hidden underground. And the treasure, worth a total of 150 thousand dollars, is hidden somewhere in the annals of St. Petersburg. 
2. A large treasure was found in the Far East at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the Ussuri Gulf, a ship with more than 250 passengers on board hit a mine and sank. Sixty thousand rubles were hidden at its bottom. A few years later they tried to raise it from the bottom, but due to some features this turned out to be impossible. Only part of the load was lifted.
3. Tatar troops flooded a treasure in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Silver is sunk somewhere near Seliger. The search is now continuing. When and most importantly who will be able to lift the treasures from the bottom? This question still worries people's minds.
In Russia, treasures are often found on the Medveditskaya ridge, which, according to data, is considered one of the most terrible places in Russia.
The largest treasure found in the world
It turns out that the largest treasure in the world has not yet been discovered. Why? Searches are difficult. Without additional equipment not enough! After all, most often you have to look at the bottom of the sea.For example, in the Gulf of Finland area every now and then there are real pirate treasures. According to American "professional" treasure hunter Greg Brooks, he has learned the location of a treasure worth three billion dollars.
We are talking about a sunken merchant ship. Now it is fifty miles from the coast,” says the man. - This ship was sunk in 1942 by German armed forces.
However, information about whether this treasure has been found has not yet appeared. Meanwhile, the Caribbean Sea can be called a real treasure. After all, back in the 16th century, Spanish galleons loaded with gold and jewelry sailed here. Over the course of history, approximately one hundred thousand ships have sunk here.
That's where you need to look, says Greg Brooks. - The bottom of this sea is simply strewn with diamonds, like sand. Five hundred years ago, ships sank from the slightest storm, people died, but after them there was a lot of money left!
However, the largest treasure in history was found about seven years ago - it was about five hundred thousand precious coins, raised from the bottom of a ship in the Bay of Gibraltar. In total this amounted to 370 million euros. It turned out that this was a Spanish warship - it was sunk by the British at the beginning of the nineteenth century.
There is a rather “dark” story associated with this treasure. It was discovered by Americans in waters off Spain. But the fact is that this is not what they were trying to discover that time. As a result, all the money had to be returned to the treasury of the Spanish state.
Every year the wonderful fairy tale about treasures becomes more and more real. And with the advent of improved technology, the chances of finding treasure increase. And let brave sailors conquer the seas - science has established that there are still many treasures hidden at their bottom.
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Everyone knows the stories of finding treasures. Not long ago, one resident of the Nizhny Novgorod region was digging up his garden and found a whole collection of coins and ancient tokens from 1751. In the same year, on the embankment of Izhevsk, a bulldozer driver dug up a whole barrel with several hundred coins of tsarist mintage. In Suzdal, a team of plumbers found more than 300 coins from the end of the 18th century in the ground.
The list can be continued for a long time, because reports about the location of treasures in Russia appear on average once every six months. It is clear that treasures are found much more often, but not all treasure hunters are willing to cooperate with the authorities.
Today, according to the law, the found treasure must be divided in half between the finder and the owner of the land. If the treasure contains things that belong to cultural or historical monuments, then the state takes half for itself, and the rest is divided in half. As a rule, here too 25% goes to the state. The procedure for evaluating found treasures itself is very imperfect, which discourages seekers from legalizing treasures. For example, the excavation site itself may turn out to be a “historical monument”, which will make it possible to bring a person to criminal liability.
As a result, most treasure hunters conduct “black” searches, and “white” specialists work closely with lawyers. But such difficulties do not scare away amateurs, because there are so many treasures in the ground that there is enough for everyone. Our country has had a turbulent history over a large area, with many wars and changes in power. Naturally, people buried money in the ground in the hope of better times. As a result, banking in Russia began to develop much later than in Europe.
You can start looking for treasures in the Moscow region; in the capital itself, such events are officially prohibited. There is even a list of potentially treasure-rich territories, which includes territories near Mozhaisk, Kashira, Kolomna, Dmitrov, Kashira, the banks of the Oka and Moskva Rivers. It is advised to search in the Astrakhan and Volgograd regions, as well as in the territories through which Western invaders left the country, especially in the Smolensk region.
For some, a treasure is an opportunity to get rich, while others are attracted by romance and history. Professionals emphasize their selflessness, but note the unprofitability of such a hobby. It is believed that searching for treasure just for the sake of enrichment is simply unprofitable. However, every seeker dreams of finding his own great treasure, among those legendary ones that have been searched for for decades. Below we will tell you about the ten most famous treasures hidden somewhere in Russia, just waiting to be discovered. The story of each of them is akin to a small detective story.
Suitcase with Bosporan gold. Many treasure hunters call this suitcase “golden”. In fact, it was black, passing through the documents as “special cargo $15.” And the name of the object was given by its contents. Inside were seventy silver Pontic and Bosporan coins from the reign of Mithridates, Panticapaean pure gold coins, and gold Bosporan coins. There were also a lot of simple Genoese, Byzantine and Turkish coins, medals, ancient jewelry and gold plaques - everything that was found in 1926 in a Gothic burial and transferred to the Kerch Historical and Archaeological Museum. Treasures dating back to the 3rd-5th centuries were lost just 15 years after their discovery. The reason is war. In September 1941, the Germans were rushing to Crimea, the director of the museum, Yuri Marti, put the entire collection in a plywood suitcase, upholstered in leatherette. The valuable cargo, along with its attendants, crossed the Kerch Bay on a ferry, and then was transported by car to Armavir, where it was deposited. But the building where the valuables were located was destroyed by bombing. Soon rumors spread that the “golden” suitcase, as being of particular value, was kept in another place. Only in 1982 were researchers able to find out that the suitcase had survived, and after the occupation they were able to take it to the village of Spokoinaya, handing it over to the partisans. The Nazis looked for treasure, but could not find it. Today our contemporaries are looking for the treasure - in the mountains and near the village where that same detachment was. The suitcase weighed about 80 kilograms and contained 719 ancient objects. Those wishing to look for the treasured treasure should start from the village of Spokoynaya, Otradnensky district of the Krasnodar Territory.
Treasure of Lenka Panteleev. The life story of the famous St. Petersburg thief Leonid Panteleev is very rich; it can be divided into three parts, each shorter than the previous one. Until 1922, Lenka was a fighter in the Red Army and served in the Cheka. However, a mysterious dismissal from the organs led to a "Robin Hood" lifestyle. The noble St. Petersburg thief robbed only the Nepmen, and burned through his earnings with the typical Russian breadth and scope. The authorities captured Panteleev quickly, but already in November 1922 he managed to escape from Kresty (the only successful escape in the history of the legendary prison). After his release, Lenka quickly decided that it was time to do some hard work, and then run away abroad with the loot. The city was shaking for two whole months - Panteleev carried out 35 armed raids, and did not disdain killings. The victims were deprived of chains, bracelets, rings, money and other small expensive items. But Lenka failed to carry out his plans; on the night of February 12, 1923, operatives found him and shot him during his arrest. But the wealth accumulated by the thief disappeared somewhere. Modern St. Petersburg diggers are sure that it has sunk underground, and in the literal sense of the word. So they are looking for the thief's treasure in the endless underground galleries of St. Petersburg. At the same time, diggers periodically stumble upon bandit caches, consisting of weapons, tools and other items used by thieves. But the main prize remains unfound. Today, the value of the treasure, which contains jewelry and gold coins, is estimated at 150 thousand dollars. The main search area is the dungeons in the center of St. Petersburg, the cellars of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and the Ligovsky catacombs.
Gold from the ship "Varyagin". On October 7, 1906, this cargo-passenger ship crashed in the Ussuri Bay. The ship was commanded by Captain Ovchinnikov, and the owner was the merchant Alexey Varyagin. The steamer sailed from Vladivostok to Sukhodol Bay (at that time Gankgouzy). Local newspapers reported that he was carrying mail and money for the population and military units. There were also 250 passengers on board. But on the way, the ship encountered a mine, a “gift” from the Russo-Japanese War, which ended recently. Almost instantly, the Varyagin sank; only 15 people, including the captain, managed to escape. For Far Eastern Russian shipping, the tragedy remained the largest in history. But then the press was not so influential, the matter was quickly forgotten. But one detail soon surfaced - in his petition to the local governor-general confidant Varyagin asked to compensate for the 60 thousand rubles transported on the ship in gold and some “especially valuable cargo.” Then the authorities refused the merchant, but in 1913 Captain Ovchinnikov himself tried to carry out the ship-lifting operation. The ship was found, but it turned out that completing the operation would require quite a lot of money and effort. From a depth of 26 meters it was then possible to recover only part of the valuable cargo, not gold. The second expedition was postponed due to storms, then the first one began World War, then the revolution... No more attempts were made to raise “Varyagin”. The main interest for treasure hunters is gold coins. At today's prices they cost about several million rubles! You need to look for the sunken ship in the Ussuri Bay, between the Three Stones site, Mount Vargli and Sukhodol Bay.
Kolchak's gold.
This story is one of the most popular among our treasure hunters. It is not surprising that there are many versions and directions of search. It is reliably known that in 1918 in Omsk, Admiral Kolchak was proclaimed the Supreme Ruler of Russia. This power, alternative to the Soviet one, was supported by a large amount of gold previously exported from Kazan. Part of the Russian gold reserves was evacuated there at the beginning of the First World War. The Omsk branch of the state bank estimated the value of the reserve at 650 million rubles. In 1921, Kolchak’s power fell, and the gold was given away by the Czechoslovak corps in exchange for promises to leave Russia unhindered. But it turned out that there were much fewer ingots. The fortune itself was already estimated at 400 million. But where the 250 million went remains unclear. On this basis, many versions have appeared, of which two main ones can be distinguished. According to one of them, gold remained lying in the Omsk region, in particular in the underground passages under the building of that very branch of the state bank, or underground near the Zakhlamino station. Another version says that the gold was sent on convoys to Vladivostok. Important is the testimony of the Estonian soldier Karl Purrock, who served in Kolchak’s army in one of the Siberian regiments. He said that not far from Kemerovo, at the Taiga station, the gold was unloaded and buried. This version is supported by the fact that at the beginning of 1941, the omniscient NKVD summoned Purrock from Estonia to help investigators in their search. Many excavations were carried out in this area, but nothing was discovered. The Estonian himself was arrested for deceiving the Soviet authorities, and a year later he died in a correctional camp. The gold bars remained unfound, located either in Omsk, or near the village of Taiga, or somewhere else. The wealthy Tula industrialist Andrei Batashev founded the village of Gus-Zhelezny in the second half of the 18th century. One part of the name arose due to the Gus River, which flows into the Oka, and the second - due to iron ore deposits. It was they who allowed Batashev to build a factory on this site. As a result, the industrialist became the de facto owner of all the surrounding areas. He drove away almost the entire population from the villages under his control, building a huge estate in two years. The house looked more like a fortress or the dwelling of a medieval feudal lord than the estate of a Russian landowner. Nearby there was a church, the Trinity Cathedral, which has survived to this day. Andrei Batashev himself, according to eyewitnesses, eventually retired, leaving the industry to his brother Ivan. The former breeder turned into a local robber. He abandoned all his affairs, immersing himself in the construction of his estate, and periodically visiting Moscow, wasting money there. Batashev stated that he had eradicated all the robber gangs in the area, but the robberies of passers-by continued. Over time, 300 people who were carrying out some kind of secret work inside the estate also disappeared somewhere. The breeder was patronized by Prince Potemkin himself, so the authorities did not have any special questions. But after the death of the empress’s favorite, an inspection arrived at the Eagle’s Nest estate. Among other goals, the task was to check the presence of a secret mint. But no untold riches or obvious irregularities were discovered. Without a patron, Batashev quickly turned into a hermit, dying in his home in 1799. Surprisingly, after the death of this one of the richest people in the country of his time, no special material assets were found in fate. Today, on the site of the house there is a children's sanatorium; several outbuildings, the ruins of greenhouses and a theater remain. It is clear that historians, archaeologists and treasure hunters are not so interested in them as they are in the secret system of underground galleries and caches. Only now the estate has been declared a historical monument by the state, so carrying out excavations here is simply illegal. So, somewhere in the vicinity of the Eagle's Nest estate, which is near the village of Gus-Zhelezny in the Ryazan region, a treasure with valuable items remained.
Treasures of the Smolensk Bank. When Nazi troops attacked Smolensk, bank valuables were taken out of the defending city in great haste and almost at the last moment. There are facts indicating how at the beginning of August 1941 a convoy of 8 trucks set off for Vyazma, but were fired upon at the Solovyov crossing. As a result, only 5 cars reached the nearest village of Otnosovo, while the fate of the rest remained unknown. At this moment, Vyazma, located 20 kilometers to the east, was already practically captured by the Germans. Almost nothing is known about the cargo, but it is believed that these were the vehicles that transported valuables from the Smolensk bank. This assumption is based on the memories of local residents. They claimed that when one of the tarpaulin-covered cars was hit by a bomb, thousands of shiny coins scattered throughout the forest. It can be assumed that the command realized that it would not be possible to remove bank valuables from the encirclement, therefore, they burned the paper money and buried the gold and silver. This version is also supported by the fact that after the end of the war, many coins from the 1924 issue were discovered in Otnosovo, which went out of circulation long before the start of the war. And here is the location of the treasure itself, in which silver coins interspersed with gold bars, and remained unknown. The estimated value of the treasure at today's prices is believed to be about $6.5 million. You should look for treasures in the vicinity of the village of Otnosovo, in the Smolensk region.
Treasures of Count Rostopchin. The historical Voronovo estate is located 37 kilometers away. During the War of 1812, the residence of Moscow Governor General Rostopchin was located here. By the way, Tolstoy spoke very disparagingly about this in his novel “War and Peace.” Rostopchin at one time managed to turn the estate into something grandiose; contemporaries called this place a little Versailles. Antique vases and marble statues, paintings and works of art came here from European capitals. Rostopchin, who surrendered Moscow to Napoleon's troops during the retreat, deliberately set fire to his palace and left a defiant note. It reported that two houses and property worth half a million rubles were left in the city, and the estate turned into ashes. There is an opinion that in this way the count made it clear to everyone that his property was destroyed, since no evacuation was carried out. But contemporaries discovered some oddities in Rostopchin’s behavior in last days defense Previously, the count was famous for his hospitality, but he did not invite anyone from the headquarters located nearby to the estate. It remains a mystery why Rostopchin did not try to save any of the valuables, sending him along with the servants and peasants to another estate near Lipetsk. The governor carried out the arson personally, and in the fire even something that could not have burned was burned - marble statues. The elements of the picture finally began to converge in 1983, when specialists from Spetsproektrestavratsiya found an underground passage more than two meters high on the territory of the estate. Its length turned out to be short; due to the crumbling arches, the tunnel was completely filled in to avoid accidents. As a result, there is no doubt that there are underground passages in Voronovo, but serious search were never carried out in this area. In addition, the Voronovo sanatorium was erected here on the site of the former estate. Treasure lovers in the area can look for silver and bronze items, porcelain and paintings, sculptures and tapestries. The sanatorium is located on the 61st kilometer of the Staro-Kaluga Highway, 37 kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road.
Treasure of Sigismund III. The Time of Troubles was especially rich in the burial of treasures in Russia, which is logical. As a result most of The treasures found date back to the 16th-17th centuries. But the history of the most important treasure of those times is far from over. It begins with the words “I sent 923 occasions of various goods from Moscow to the Kaluga Gate to Mozhaisk.” Tradition says that the original of this recording was made on a copper plate and is kept in Warsaw. It was there that the treasures looted by the Poles were sent for King Sigismund III. In 1611, an uprising broke out in Moscow against the Polish occupiers. They brutally suppressed the riot and continued to plunder the capital. Karamzin says that the Poles “robbed the royal treasury, took all the utensils of our ancient crown-bearers, their crowns, wands, vessels, rich clothes, to send to Sigismund... they tore off frames from icons, divided gold, silver, pearls, stones and precious fabrics ". It is unclear whether the valuables were collected to be sent to Sigismund, or whether some of the nobles planned to use them for their own purposes. But the mentioned 923 carts did not even reach Smolensk, disappearing along the way. At the same time, there are even seemingly exact indications of the place where the treasure was buried - 650 meters from the churchyard of St. Nicholas the Wonderworking Lapotny, near the Khvorostyanka River. There remains a small problem - no one knows what kind of graveyard this is. This geographical concept allows the treasure to be located in many places. Researchers believe that it is necessary to look for a treasure with jewelry, gold and silver either near modern Mozhaisk, or in the vicinity of Aprelevka, in the Moscow region.
Napoleon's treasure. The fact that Napoleon collected a lot of treasures in Moscow is as much a legend as the library of Ivan the Terrible. There is no need to doubt the reality of the existence of this treasure, but the details still cause heated debate. It is clear from any history textbook that in September 1812 the French emperor decided to leave the Russian capital he had captured. His troops headed for the Old Kaluga Road, but were met by the Russians, forcing them to turn onto the Old Smolensk Road. Under Napoleon there were always two convoys. "Zolotoy" was carrying jewelry from the Kremlin, and "Zhelezny" was carrying a collection. The number of carts with loot cannot be counted at all - the French did not want to leave Russia without trophies. The plans of the invaders did not include the resurrection of the Russian army, nor did the harsh Russian winter with the subsequent famine. Within a few days, the most insignificant loads began to be dropped. The first treasure related to these events was found near the Nara River near Moscow, where silver dishes were discovered. Even before the retreating troops reached Mozhaisk, Napoleon gave the order not to leave the stolen goods to the Russians, but to hide, drown or destroy. The carts that followed him survived at least until the Berezina River, when it became clear that there was no longer any talk of any treasures. Otherwise, it was possible to lose the remnants of the once victorious army. Belarusian historians believe that Napoleon dragged his part of the treasure further, while the Russians suggest that the jewelry was sunk in the Smolensk region, in one of the local lakes. Attempts to explore this area were made more than once, at different times. So, in the early 1960s, detachments of Komsomol researchers were sent to these places, but no results were obtained. Today, the attention of historians is increasingly drawn to Lake Semlyovskoye in the Smolensk region - several years ago, geophysicists discovered an increased content of gold and silver in its waters. But finding anything here is not so easy - the entire bottom is covered with a 16-meter layer of silt. It is known that in addition to ancient weapons, Napoleon's treasures included a cross from the bell tower of Ivan the Great, diamonds, gold in coins and bars, as well as candlesticks and silver chandeliers.
Golden horses of Khan Batu. This treasure is golden, in the truest sense of the word, the dream of Volgograd treasure hunters. It is known that once two life-size golden horses stood near the entrance to Sarai-Batu, the capital of the powerful Golden Horde. Such figures were created by order of Batu from all the golden treasures collected during the year as tribute. The horses' eyes were ruby. After the legendary Batu, Khan Berke ruled, who moved the golden figures to his Sarai, located near the present village of Tsarev, in the Volgograd region. The trail of horses is lost under Khan Mamai, or rather, along with him. History says that Mamai lost the Battle of Kulikovo, after which the Horde began to retreat. But no one could drag the heavy horses far. Today there is debate about whether the horses were entirely made of gold, or hollow inside. Researchers are wondering whether the figures were hidden together or separately. According to one version, one horse was buried along with Mamai, which means you need to look for the treasure in one of the mounds, of which there are simply many in the vicinity. The most popular search area is the bank of the Akhtuba River, just below the city of Leninsk in the Volgograd region.
