From ancient times to the present, countless stories and legends tell of priceless lost treasures from around the world that have disappeared without a trace. For some, we have no conclusive evidence, while for others it is clear that they existed at some point in history, but mysteriously disappeared – buried in hidden places or stolen and lost. Undoubtedly, any of these treasures would change history and enrich our knowledge of the past, but they are unlikely to be discovered after centuries of searching.
The lost treasures of the world are countless, but there are a few that have a special significance to history. Here are 3 lost treasures of the world whose value cannot be measured.
1. Tomb of Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan’s death is shrouded in mystery. The Great Khan died in the summer of 1227 during a campaign along the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Yinchuan. The actual cause of his death remains unknown.
It is logical to assume that he died from injuries received during the battle. It is also logical to believe that these wounds did not come from an enemy arrow, as the Italian explorer Marco Polo suggested, but from a fall from a horse while hunting.
The mystery surrounding Genghis Khan’s death caused so much speculation and later inspired an endless stream of apocryphal stories that are barely distinguishable from pure fiction.
Historians say that many years before his death, Genghis Khan wished to be buried in an unmarked grave in the Burkhan Khaldun Mountains of Mongolia.
After Genghis Khan’s death, his body was taken back to his homeland by his soldiers, where he was buried at his own request – in an unmarked grave, somewhere in the heart of the Burkhan Khaldun Mountains.
2. The Lost Dutchman Mine
As long as you’ve been interested in treasure, you’ve surely heard of the Lost Dutchman Mine, located in the Superstition Mountains near Phoenix, Arizona.
The Lost Dutchman Mine is an alleged gold mine found by a powerful Mexican family in the early 19th century. For years they mined as much gold as they could while keeping it a secret until their last expedition ended with the death of almost an entire family killed by Apaches in the region.
The last person who allegedly saw the mine was the German immigrant Jacob Walzer, who found it at the end of the 19th century with his partner and hid some of the gold somewhere in the mountains. Until his death in 1891, he described the location of the mine to only one person – his neighbor, who took care of him in his last days.
Still, many tried unsuccessfully to find her. In fact, the area and the treasure itself are considered cursed today, as many who tried to find the treasure in the past never returned.
3. Dead Sea Copper Scroll Treasure
At the northern end of the Dead Sea near the city of Kalya in Palestine is the archaeological site of Qumran. This is the location of the caves where a Bedouin discovered the famous Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946.
Later excavations of 11 caves by archaeologists revealed 972 parchment and papyrus texts and two unusual copper scrolls that are believed to be two parts of the same artifact.
The copper scroll in question was discovered in 1952 in the back of Cave No. 3. It was a detailed list of 64 locations where significant amounts of gold and silver were allegedly hidden.
Unfortunately, the locations are written in such a way that the reader would recognize the mentioned places without the need for precise instructions, and therefore the mystery remains unsolved to this day.
It is believed to have been created in the last century BC. Although many historians believe that some of the treasures may have been found by the Romans during their invasion of the region, it is reasonable to think that at least some of the sites have never been discovered.