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Yahoo
06-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hikers Discover Hidden Treasure That May Be Worth More Than $300,000
The next time you go for a walk, you may be tempted to look for buried gold. A hike in the Czech Republic turned into an accidental treasure hunt for two men who stumbled upon a buried trove of riches. In February, two men were trekking through the foothills of the Krkonoše Mountains, located near the Polish border in the northern region of the Czech Republic, when they discovered a canister filled with hundreds of shiny gold coins. Nearby, an iron box was found with more treasures, including cigarette cases, bracelets, a comb, and a chain with a key. The men handed over the findings to the Museum of East Bohemia, where archaeologists are now analyzing the discoveries, according to an April 25 Facebook post. Together, the items weigh more than 15 pounds and could be worth as much as $340,000. Under Czech law, the hikers may receive up to 10 percent of the treasure's value as a reward, TVP World reports. Related: 14 Valuable Collectibles to Look for in Thrift Stores The can contained 598 coins neatly arranged into 11 columns and wrapped in black cloth, weighing more than 8 pounds. The coins were stamped with dates ranging from 1808 to 1915. Some coins also bear countermarks, indicating that they were reissued in 1921 in an area of Yugoslavia most likely encompassing modern-day Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to Artnet. The coins originated from various countries such as France, Turkey, Belgium, Romania, Italy, and Russia. The reason the treasure was buried is unknown. Miroslav Novák, head of the archaeological department of the Museum of Eastern Bohemia, told Czech Radio that it's possible the treasure belonged to one of the thousands of Czech or Jewish people who fled during World War II to escape persecution. He notes that it could also be linked to "monetary reform," referring to the monetary reform forced upon Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union in 1953. While it remains unclear who hid the stash and why it was never retrieved, experts believe it was hidden because the coins are gold. "It was clearly not about the nominal value of the coins. It's not about what the coins could buy—that's not what mattered. It was deliberately hidden because it was precious metal," the Museum of Eastern Bohemia's coin expert, Vojtěch Brádle, told Czech Radio. Read the original article on Martha Stewart
Miami Herald
05-02-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Thousands of animal bones — and 13 mammoths — found at prehistoric hunting camp
From the duck blind to the tree stand, modern hunting has become just as much about the experience as the end result. But when hunting was the only means of survival, picking up a spear and leaving your settlement was a matter of life and death. Now, archaeologists in Czechia, also known as the Czech Republic, have discovered a hunting camp from 20,000 years ago — and the animals that hunters took down. While working on preventative archaeological research at the construction site for the future Judicial Palace, researchers started to uncover animal bones, The Institute of Archaeological Monument Care in Northwestern Bohemia announced in a Jan. 31 Facebook post. As they dug around, they kept finding more and more, until thousands of animal bones sat before them in the dirt, according to the outlet. Researchers dated the bones and found that they were from the Pleistocene period, around 20,000 years ago, Czech Radio reported on Jan. 31. More photos were shared by the Regional museum in Ústí nad Labem in a Jan. 31 Facebook post. The bones belonged to dozens of hunted species, the institute said, including woolly mammoths. The skeletons of at least 13 mammoths were discovered at the site, dating to a period researchers consider the 'peak' age of mammoth hunting, according to the post. 'This was a mammoth hunters' campsite, where animals were processed,' lead researcher Petr Lissek told Czech Radio. 'We found evidence of bone chipping and breaking, as prehistoric people used every part — meat, fat, and bones.' Along with the bones, archaeologists found chipped stone instruments that helped date the site, the institute said. Hunting a woolly mammoth may have had a high reward, but ancient people in central Europe likely went after other animals first. 'If we could see the animals they hunted, we might be surprised. From a strategic standpoint, they primarily focused on younger animals that had strayed from the herd, as they were easier to catch,' Lissek told Czech Radio. 'They also hunted older individuals that were slower and more vulnerable.' Other animals found at the site include deer and a woolly rhino, according to the outlet. Woolly mammoths were larger than modern-day African elephants, according to Czech Radio, but lived during the Ice Ages so were covered in thick fur. They lived from around 2.6 million years ago until 4,000 years ago but really thrived during the Pleistocene era, according to Britannica. They grew to between 10 and 12 feet tall and weighed between 6 to 8 tons, with a 3-inch-thick layer of fat under thick skin. Woolly mammoths lived throughout Eurasia and North America, and the last populations were found near the Bering Sea, Alaska and Russia. The hunting camp was found in Ústí nad Labem in northern Czechia near the border of eastern Germany. Facebook Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from the Institute of Archaeological Monument Care in Northwestern Bohemia.
