Oak Island mystery has lasted for more than 220 years, and many treasure hunters have tried to find the hidden treasure but failed to do so. Oak Island is just off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada and even though everybody speaks of this treasure, no one is sure what it is. Some believe that pirates hid their gold, some other believe that Shakespeare’s lost manuscripts somehow ended on the island and there are even those who think that it is a sunken Viking ship. In 1961, four men tragically died during the excavation of the Money Pit, but that didn’t stop Rick and Marty Lagina to embark on a treasure hunt journey.
While we are getting closer to the end of yet another season and the crew is trying to solve mysteries. It is still a question if this is the final season as there are no confirmation’s that there will be a continuation. While we are waiting for more details about this location check out five other treasures which also grab the attention of archaeologists and treasure hunters.
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant is a gold-plated wooden chest that belonged to Moses, and in the Hebrew Bible, it is written that the Ark was made according to God’s design. The purpose of this Ark was to guard the Ten Commandments and some other sacred relics, and it is said that the Israelites had wandered through the desert for 40 years carrying the Ark until they finally placed it in the temple of King Solomon in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was besieged by the Babylonians in 607 B.C., and many people were killed, but those who were left alive were driven into exile. Once the Israelites returned to the city, they couldn’t find the treasure, and some believe it was hidden from the Babylonian invaders while some think that the attackers destroyed it.
Montezuma’s treasure
Montezuma II was the ninth Tlatoani of Tenochtitlan and the Ruler of the Aztec Triple Alliance, so he welcomed Spaniard Hernan Cortes, who arrived with his men in the Aztec capital in 1519. Cortes was offered gold and silver to leave the residents of Tenochtitlan in peace, but the Spaniards were avaricious, so they held Montezuma captive and went on a rampage around the city. They committed a brutal massacre during a religious festival, so the Aztecs rebelled, but in all that havoc, Montezuma was murdered. The Spanish army was chased out of the city, and they were forced to get rid of the treasure because it slowed them down, so they dumped it in Lake Texcoco.
Cortes returned next year with a large army and conquered the Aztecs, but the treasure remains lost. Some people have searched the lake, but they couldn’t find anything. One of the legends says that the Aztecs managed to locate the treasure and retrieved it so that they could send it north together with Montezuma’s corpse. The treasure may have even reached southern Utah.
Mosby’s Treasure
The Confederate Ranger Colonel John Singleton Mosby and his raiders took by surprise more than 40 Union troops at the Fairfax Courthouse in 1863. The result of that was that Mosby stole more than $350,000 worth in gold, silver, jewelry and other family valuable belongings, all of which were in a property of wealthy Virginia planters. He was transporting the Union General Edwin Stoughton and the other prisoners to the Confederate line, and at that moment he was informed about the large detachment of Union soldiers waiting for battle.
Because of that, Mosby told his men to bury the treasure between the two pines he marked with his knife, but the clash between the Union men and Mosby’s Confederate bunch never occurred, and they returned safely to their territory. He wanted to go back and fetch the treasure, so he sent seven of his men, but they were accused of being guerrillas and were hanged. Mosby never returned for the treasure, and it is believed that it is still hidden in the woods of Fairfax County, Virginia.
Treasure of Lima
Jose de San Martin advanced on Lima, Peru in 1820 with his army and before that, the Spanish authorities wanted to take care of the treasure they had gathered. They gave the treasure to the British sea captain William Thompson who was supposed to sail around with it until he was told that Lima is safe to return. Guess what? He took off with the treasure in his ship Mary Dear, but they were eventually captured by the Spanish fleet and everyone on that ship was brutally killed except the captain himself and the first mate who were asked for information about the treasure. All of them disembarked on Cocos Island after which William Thompson managed to escape with his first mate, and they couldn’t be found in the vast forest and wilderness. More than 300 expeditions have tried to locate the gold which is said to include a life-size gold image of the Virgin Mary encrusted in gems. The worth of the gold is estimated at $200 million.
Blackbeard’s Treasure
Edward Teach, who is also known as Blackbeard, served as a British privateer during the War of Spanish Succession at the beginning of the 18th century. He had a ship called Queen Anne’s Revenge, and for several years and alongside the Atlantic Coast of North America, Blackbeard attacked other ships that tried to carry a lot of gold and silver to Spain. In 1718, Blackbeard was killed by Lieutenant Robert Maynard, and his British naval force in a battle that took many lives and his head was attached to the bowsprit of his ship. Before Blackbeard was murdered, he claimed that he had hidden a massive treasure, without mentioning the location. The treasure hunters are turning the Atlantic Coast upside down in hope to find the gold that was forcefully taken by notorious Blackbeard.
