Treasure Hunting

Historians are becoming increasingly convinced that a villa uncovered 20 miles from London was once home to Britain’s Roman Governor.

Since Lullingstone Roman Villa was first uncovered in the 1930s experts believed it was once the home of a leading Roman or wealthy Briton, but archaeologists were unsure of the owner’s identity.

Now experts have re-examined treasures found at the site, near Orpington in Kent, and say it was almost certainly the home of Publius Helvius Pertinax.

The governor is known to have fled the villa at the end of the second century amid a mutiny by his soldiers. The men then looted it for gold and silver.

Roman experts believe the looters prised the seal from a gold signet ring and then left it behind as worthless. There are signs the seal has been gouged with a knife.

Historians also say two portrait busts left behind were of the governor and, almost certainly, his father.

The one of Pertinax was left decapitated in an act of spite, probably carried out by an enraged soldier.
Joanne Gray, English Heritage curator of Lullingstone, said:

‘We have always known that the site must have belonged to someone of high status because of its size, the quality of its mosaic floor and the archaeological finds.

‘The image on the seal is one of victory. It is an image often used by Romans as a sign of imperial power.’

She said the research had been carried out by archaeologists Martin Henig, who lectures in Roman art and culture at Oxford University, and German archaeologist Richard de Kind.

Mrs Gray said: ‘The research that has been done points quite strongly to Lullingstone being the home of Britain’s governor. Everything seems to fit.’

Visitors to the villa, near the village of Eynsford, can still view the basement and foundation walls of the villa.

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Glens Falls, NY– The massive hole in front of the Cronin High Rise in downtown Glens Falls is not from replacing pipes or construction. Excavation workers are digging out the remains of an old building that was buried there. It was causing the lawn to collapse in front of the prestigious High Rise.

“We had a lot of erosion and settling,” said Robert Landry, of the Glens Falls Housing Authority. That agency runs the senior high-rise on Ridge Street.

“It was creating sinkholes, and it made it difficult to maintain the lawn. The flagpole was even starting to lean.”

Landry said the city hired an engineer to do a soil test, and it was determined a previous demolition at the site had become unstable, causing the sinking lawn. Services Unlimited was hired to excavate the site, remove the debris of the old building, fill it back in with clean fill and re-tamp the surface.

“We’ll have a new lawn and new landscaping,” Landry said. “Our goal is to be the nicest looking property in downtown Glens Falls.”

He said the excavation work should be complete by mid-August, and the lawn and landscaping should be done by September 1st. The project carries a price tag of about $50,000, which was covered by a Capital Fund grant covering infrastructure improvements.

But just what is it they are digging up? City Historian Wayne Wright said the structure was the home of Dr. George W. Little.

“Dr. Little had a conservatory on the right side of the house where he kept monkeys, birds and all sorts of plant life,” Wright said. “After he closed his practice, he handed out little spoons to the people who were still with him. Some of those spoons are still around.”

Little was eccentric, and his wife moved out of the house in his later years to settle in the Fort Edward area.

“There was a one-story addition built onto the front of the house for a storefront,” Wright said. “The structure came down during Urban Renewal in the early 1970s, and they just bulldozed it under.”

Landry recalls a pool hall at the spot in the ‘70s.

“It was the Chalk and Cue Pool Hall, and it was a popular hangout for St. Mary’s students, and since I was one of them, I used to hang out there,” he said. “Van the Shoe Man and Griffin’s Paint Store were also in this area.”

Robert Landry believes there might be a few interesting finds from this old demolished house, but they still have yet to dig and discover pieces of history. Citing and picture use from Post Star articles.

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Sebastan: Dozens of gold and silver coins hidden nearly 300 years ago were found Friday when a cannon recovered July 11 from a wrecked Spanish ship was being cleaned for preservation, salvagers reported this week.

Divers from the salvage boat “Gold Hound” brought up the ship’s bronze swivel cannon, a rare find in itself, in less than 20 feet of water between Wabasso and Vero Beach, said Anne Kazel-Wilcox, a spokeswoman for 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels, a private salvage company based in Sebastian and Jupiter.

A historic bronze cannon found near Sebastian contained gold and silver coins concealed inside, treasure on its way back to Spain before the shipwreck

The heavily-encrusted cannon was taken to the Mel Fisher’s Treasures facility in Sebastian for preservation, Kazel-Wilcox said, “and as workers were conserving it, the cannon became unplugged and coins were found inside.”

In addition to 22 gold coins found near the cannon, 25 gold coins and 63 silver coins were found inside, worth an estimated $500,000 or more.

“This is an amazing historic find,” Greg Bounds of Fellsmere, captain of the Gold Hound, said in a prepared statement. “We found treasure within the treasure. This is right out of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ except this is the real thing. For centuries there has been talk of treasure possibly hidden inside of cannons, but up until today that was only pirate lore. Now it’s the real deal.”

The wreck was part of a fleet of 11 galleons and war ships laden with gold bars, coins, diamonds, emeralds and pearls bound from Havana for King Philip V of Spain. The cargo included the so-called “Queen’s Jewels,” a 74-carat emerald, pearls and diamonds meant for Philip’s new bride Elisabeth, who reportedly said she wouldn’t consummate the marriage until she received them.

The ships sank in a hurricane off the Treasure Coast on July 31, 1715. Last month, 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels, a private salvage company, acquired salvage rights to the fleet from the heirs of treasure hunter Mel Fisher, whose family had retained the fleet’s U.S. Admiralty Custodianship of a 300-square-mile stake off Indian River County that extends from the low-tide mark into the ocean. Together with subcontractors such as Bounds, they are searching for a mother lode estimated to be worth $900 million.

By law, the state gets 20 percent of the haul and gets to pick the pieces it wants first. The rest is split 50-50 between 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels and the subcontractors who found it.

Bounds, one of about 15 subcontractors who have worked with Mel Fisher Treasure and continue to work with 1715 Fleet-Queens Jewels, uncovered more than $12.9 million worth of gold chains, pearls, coins, swords and other artifacts in 2007 from the 400-year-old Santa Margarita site in the Florida Keys.

This article was found from a news blog site the Coin Docere.

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The famous King Tutankhamun as known as King Tut died between 1330 B.C and 1340 B.C. After being discovered in 1922 by archaeologist Howard Carter, many have proposed theories on his death. However, after many scans, DNA test, and X-rays with the technology we have from this decade, Scientist have finally shed some light on the obscurity of King Tut’s death.

From sickle cell disease to a blew out kneecap or even the hole in the back of his head, King tut had many ailments that led up to his death back in 1300 B.C. Scientist believe Tutankhamun’s health was stressed due to the multiple complications at one time. Also, after the test came back it was shown that he also may of had a harsh case of Malaria Disease.

Researchers of Tutankhamun’s death knew it was not bad luck that killed King Tut or a murderer, but the culture of keeping a bloodline that put stress on his life. It is believed that King Tut’s father Akhenaten, married Tutankhamun’s full blood sister which led to his many physical disabilities after birth. From club foot to weak bones and low immune system, King tut died at a early age.

This research is the final most probably theory based on evidence that they have found on King Tut, and although his life was short, he was cared for and glorified especially through his death. His tomb being layered in gold, hoped to have led to an eternal peaceful life by his people.

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New York City – A 32 foot long ship hull seemed to be from the 18th century is now being excavated by workers at the World Trade Center cite. The artifact, deteriorating fastly due to exposure to air, is hoped to be retrieved intact by the end of Thursday, July 14th.

Archaeologist Molly McDonald said that a boat specialist is still planning to look at it. Mcdonald hopes to at least salvage some timbers, although she was unsure that the large portions of the hull could be lifted intact. “We’re mostly clearing it by hand because it’s kind of fragile,” she said, but construction equipment could be used later in the process.

Both McDonald and archaeologist A. Michael Pappalardo were at the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks and when the discovery was made Tuesday morning.

“We noticed curved timbers that a backhoe brought up,” McDonald said. ‘We quickly found the rib of a vessel and continued to clear it away and expose the hull over the last two days.” In sequence these photos of the ship were taken and were taken to the press today.

“We’re going to send timber samples to a laboratory to do dendrochronology that will help us to get a sense of when the boat was constructed,” McDonald said. Dendrochronology is the science that uses tree rings to determine dates and chronological order.

A 100-pound anchor was found a few yards from the ship hull Wednesday, but the archaeologists are not sure if it belongs to the ship. It is three to four feet across, McDonald said.

The two archaeologists work for AKRF, a firm hired to document Artifacts Discovered at the site. They called the find significant but said more study was needed to determine the age of the ship.

This news article is in reference to The Washington Post article on this excavation.

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For all of you treasure enthusiast, the History Channel has just premiered a show called Chasing Mummies. After the premier episode on Wednesday, July 14th at 10/9c, this show turned out to be a hit and it is evident why it is going to be such a popular documentary series.

Archaeologist and passionate explorer Dr. Zahi Hawass is the lead of the series and shows his passion for excavation of mummies in his documentary. In this documentary, Dr. Hawass takes you through many of his adventures and engages the audience as he uncovers the mystery of mummies and history from over 3,000 years ago. This show is more than your regular historical documentary, its a movie-like view into the past.

“It’s a whirlwind tour, led by the man who holds the keys to Egypt’s greatest antiquities and rules his world like a modern-day pharaoh. Unfiltered, entertaining, exciting and suspenseful.” Said by History Channels Producer

Watch a preview of the adventures Dr. Zahi Hawass takes you through on Chasing Mummies:

Want to follow this engaging series? Tune in to the History Channel, Wednesday nights at 10, Eastern and Pacific times; 9, Central time.

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I came across the most exciting Metal Detecting story in a while from Yahoo News, this discovery is amazing people all over the world! So I thought I would share for those of you who haven’t heard about it yet!

In London, A treasure hunter has found about 52,500 Roman coins, one of the most astounding discoveries in Britain said officials.

The discovery, which was valued at $5 million, includes hundreds of Roman coins with the image of Marcus Aurelius Carausius, who seized power in Britain and northern France in the late third century and proclaimed himself emperor.

Dave Crisp, a treasure hunter using a Metal Detector, located the coins in April in a field in southwestern England, according to the Somerset County Council and the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

The coins were buried in a large jar about a foot deep and weighed 350 pounds total. Crisp said a “funny signal” from his metal detector prompted him to start digging.

“I put my hand in, pulled out a bit of clay and there was a little radial, a little bronze Roman coin — very, very small, about the size of my fingernail,” Crisp said in an interview with the BBC.

He recovered about 20 coins before discovering that they were in a pot, and realized he needed expert help.

“Because Mr. Crisp resisted the temptation to dig up the coins it has allowed archaeologists from Somerset County Council to carefully excavate the pot and its contents, ensuring important evidence about the circumstances of its burial was preserved,” said Anna Booth, of Somerset Council.

Somerset Coroner Tony Williams scheduled a hearing Thursday to formally determine whether the find is subject to the Treasure Act, a formal step toward determining a price to be paid by any institution which wishes to acquire the hoard.

The hoard is one of the largest ever found in Britain, and will reveal more about the nation’s history in the third century, said Roger Bland, of the British Museum. The find includes more than 760 coins from the reign of Carausius, the Roman naval officer who seized power in 286 and ruled until he was assassinated in 293.

The discovery of the Roman coins follows last year’s discovery of a hoard of Anglo-Saxon coins in central England. The so-called Staffordshire Hoard included more than 1,500 objects, mostly made from gold.

Citing from Yahoo News, pictures from telegraph.co.uk. Hopefully this will inspire many to join treasure hunters in the quest to discover our worlds history and treasure of the past.

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Colorado Boulder researcher Craig Lee makes frequent trips during summer trekking for treasure and usually strikes gold. However, this time he has found a much more valuable find, 10,000 year old artifacts.

As global warming increases, icy tombs that preserved these artifacts are now melting and emerging from the ice. Pieces of animal remains, Native American baskets, and clothing are among the typical discoveries found from Lee’s frequent trips to the Rockies back in 2007. But his most significant find so far has been a wooden stick that happens to be a 10,000-year-old birch sapling. There has been a long process that took nearly 3 years to verify the artifacts. The weapon, called an atlatl dart, is rare because of its impeccable condition and age, Lee said.

“We haven’t been able to disclose the discovery until now due to restrictions from science journals and the lengthy process of actually verifying our find,” Lee said.

Spear-like artifact found in melting ice patches

Melting has increased all around and in the Rockies which leads to the increasing popularity of artifact hunting in the area.

“So far we’ve been successful during every search,” Lee said. “I think that really shows the effects that global warming is having on our environment. It’s visible to us and the artifacts are the proof.”

It seems this bittersweet view into our past has come from the destructiveness of our inhabitants. Our environment is suffering, and yet this may be an extraordinary find, our global warming has evidently taking its toll.

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The Milwaukee cargo steamship L.R. Doty has been discovered after 112 years of wondering where it has sunk. The L.R. Doty is of great value because the 300 foot long ship was the largest wooden vessel, and the whereabouts of this ship were not known.

Brendon Baillod, the President of Wisconsin Underwater Archaeology Association spent 20 years of his life researching about the ship, and had remembered a local fisherman reporting that his nets were clashing against a strong object in the shorelines in 1991. He backtracked and took his diving crew down to explore the possibilities of the L.R. Doty being found. Jitka Hanakova, the 33 year old diver who was a member of the research team told the media that the divers spotted the ship as soon as they landed on the floor of the lake. He said that the ship has been well preserved due to the cold and fresh water of the lake.

L.R. Doty ship found 300ft below Lake Michigan's surface after 112 years

It was said that the ship was carrying cargo of corns way back from South Chicago and was headed towards Ontario in 1898 when it sank into the depths of water. When the ship sunk down it was pretty young, just five years old. Besides the 17 crew members out of which none survived the storm, the ship was also carrying two cats namely Dewey and Watson. The corpses of the ship’s crew are still said to present inside the boiler room which is said to be the safest place where one might have gone for shelter.

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Nevada City, CA - Permits have been sought after with this new amazing discovery that led the San Fransisco business man, Jim Sanders into new wealth. Over 160 years has passed since the California Gold Rush, after one evening of metal detecting in his family-owned property, he found a 9 pound gold nugget then following with an 8oz nugget and 10oz.

Nine pound Gold Nugget found in Nevada City, CA

Gold nuggets usually are reported to come in smaller sizes, and since the Gold Rush this is a very large discovery. Sanders believes there is more where that came from after surveying the land.

Local jeweler Terry Mohr hadn’t seen the nugget, but was impressed nonetheless at the reported size, which he said would make it worth well over $100,000.

“I’ve been doing gold nugget jewelry for over 30 years and I don’t know as I’ve heard of a nugget that size being found in this area in all the time I’ve been involved,” Mohr said.

Looks like if you live near Nevada City, CA you should consider getting your serious Metal Detecting Gear on and head outside to see if you get lucky! Good luck and Happy Hunting

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