Why would buried treasure be abandoned ?

[gazzahk]

I was just thinking about why would someone bury treasure and then not come back an get it (for the sake of discussion).

So did a quick Google of found buried treasures

7 of the Biggest Treasure Troves Ever Found | Mental Floss
https://www.oddee.com/item_98717.aspx

Firstly I wonder if the people that found these hoards ever got to keep them.. Probably not I would guess

Anyway getting back to original question I would hypothesize one of the following

1. The person/s who buried the treasure died
2. The person/s who buried the treasure were imprisoned/stopped from returning to where they buried the treasure
3. The location of the treasure was lost
4. The treasure was actually lost/dropped/building collapsed/burnt/left over from battle etc and no one new there was treasure there
5. What was buried was not that valuable at the time and has become very valuable later. The original buryier did not bother to recover it
6. The treasure was never meant to be recovered for some reason maybe spite/fear/religious belief etc
7. The treasure was buried with someone for their afterlife (ie the pyramids)

Of the above reasons (feel free to add more to the list) it is difficult to find a reason that would match Oak Island treasure speculations. If the legend speculation is accepted (Flood tunnels/170+foot etc) then there must of been a lot of people involved in the burying of the treasure in the first place. That gets rid of most of the reasons on the above list. The only two that could possibly still apply in my view are 6 and 7.

Anything else one would of thought the treasure hiders would of come back and got there treasure. Most people that bury something valuable do so to hide it for a short period of time before they recover it and turn it into spending money.

The problem with 6 and 7 is why would someone go to OI to do either?

To me a major problem with the whole Oak Island Legend (I know there are many) is that people think that someone buried a treasure hoard and DID NOT COME BACK and get it....

 

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[Simon1]

My major problem is as to why bury it 20' - 170' or deeper ?
To me, 10-20 feet should have been more than plenty.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Good question and a good list.

Variation on #2 - William Kidd knew he was facing heat in England and allegedly buried wealth to have a "kitty" to bargain with. He lost and was hung after a long imprisonment. However - he probably left his wife with the location and it was recovered. It would not have been very deep. Folks wouldn't spend weeks or months depositing or recovering treasure - and the fewer it took to recover it the better. Most was portioned out at the end of a cruise.

Individual pirates may have hidden their shares - it was a hanging offense to be a pirate (vs. a privateer - the difference one piece pf paper makes - or not in the case of Kidd who took a "legal" vessel but the political climate of the time changed before he could get home and was not allowed to present his evidence).

 

[lookingharder]

Just my two cents about some of the Civil War lost caches. They were buried in a hurry and on the run. For anyone who has ever lost something out in the woods while hunting and tried to go back right after losing it, has experienced the "where the heck is it ?" moment. All the trees look alike, all the terrain looks alike. Now lets go back a hundred and so years ago. Try and go back months later without any of our modern technology and find a hole in unfamiliar territory and find the same spot. Probably not much success. Now lets look at the Lost Dutchman's mine. Hundreds of people have spent years looking for it. Folklore, Stories, the thrill of the hunt, all add to the thought that " I might be the one to find it" ideas. Lost treasure ships, Inca gold, and the list goes on as to why people spend years looking for "lost Treasures" As an avid fisherman, Why do I have a high dollar boat, thousands of dollars of fishing gear? It's all for the "hunt" of those monster fish. OK, maybe this was my 25 cents.

 

[gazzahk]

Just my two cents about some of the Civil War lost caches. They were buried in a hurry and on the run. For anyone who has ever lost something out in the woods while hunting and tried to go back right after losing it, has experienced the "where the heck is it ?" moment. All the trees look alike, all the terrain looks alike. Now lets go back a hundred and so years ago. Try and go back months later without any of our modern technology and find a hole in unfamiliar territory and find the same spot. Probably not much success. Now lets look at the Lost Dutchman's mine. Hundreds of people have spent years looking for it. Folklore, Stories, the thrill of the hunt, all add to the thought that " I might be the one to find it" ideas. Lost treasure ships, Inca gold, and the list goes on as to why people spend years looking for "lost Treasures" As an avid fisherman, Why do I have a high dollar boat, thousands of dollars of fishing gear? It's all for the "hunt" of those monster fish. OK, maybe this was my 25 cents.

Yep.. Not just the forest.. I had a mate that told me there was a box of money/treasure buried somewhere in his garden but he cannot find it. The story was he was really drunk one night (may of been other substances involved also) and got a panic attack and buried his stash in his Garden. He forgot he had done it and months later when he remembered he had done this (while looking for the stash) he could not remember where abouts in the garden he buried it.

As far as I know he is still looking.....

 

[n2mini]

I go along with they forget exactly where it is. Didn't take good enough notes along the way. Kinda like Oak Island. There as lots of small islands in the area and you have to go by them to get to Oak Island.. Who's to say they forgot which island they put it on... and if some how you weren't the one coming back how the heck would you tell someone which one it is...

 

[franklin]

I go along with they forget exactly where it is. Didn't take good enough notes along the way. Kinda like Oak Island. There as lots of small islands in the area and you have to go by them to get to Oak Island.. Who's to say they forgot which island they put it on... and if some how you weren't the one coming back how the heck would you tell someone which one it is...

You forget they left their stone markers in place, plus with the stars overhead they knew where they buried the treasure and where to come back to if they wanted to later.

 

[Simon1]

Wasn't this suppose to be the only island that Oak trees on it or did I misinterpret something years ago ?

 

[Tom Slikes53]

You forget they left their stone markers in place, plus with the stars overhead they knew where they buried the treasure and where to come back to if they wanted to later.

the stars overhead could provide a precise location of the treasure ?

 

[Tom Slikes53]

My major problem is as to why bury it 20' - 170' or deeper ?
To me, 10-20 feet should have been more than plenty.

one possibility why, at some point between 20 and 170 ft your going to need more then one person (or a crew of people) to recover it ? One person just can't get the idea to take it themselves

 

[Gold_FInger]

Cuz buried pirate treasure is a myth...They certainly were not that frugal....

 

[Singlestack Wonder]

Yep.. Not just the forest.. I had a mate that told me there was a box of money/treasure buried somewhere in his garden but he cannot find it. The story was he was really drunk one night (may of been other substances involved also) and got a panic attack and buried his stash in his Garden. He forgot he had done it and months later when he remembered he had done this (while looking for the stash) he could not remember where abouts in the garden he buried it.

As far as I know he is still looking.....

He should call gawaaay......

 

[Bud Aurum]

I was just thinking about why would someone bury treasure and then not come back an get it (for the sake of discussion).

7. The treasure was buried with someone for their afterlife (ie the pyramids)

The only two that could possibly still apply in my view are 6 and 7.

Anything else one would of thought the treasure hiders would of come back and got there treasure. Most people that bury something valuable do so to hide it for a short period of time before they recover it and turn it into spending money.

The problem with 6 and 7 is why would someone go to OI to do either?

To me a major problem with the whole Oak Island Legend (I know there are many) is that people think that someone buried a treasure hoard and DID NOT COME BACK and get it....

I think you hit on next years Theme set up with a Pharaohs Rhodolite garnet and the Egyptian Ankh.

History tells us the Egyptians went to great lengths to protect and hide the Pharaohs Tomb and Treasure.

Before I go under attack, I really do not believe there is an Egyptian Tomb.

Your Bud Aurum

 

[sprailroad]

I was just thinking about why would someone bury treasure and then not come back an get it (for the sake of discussion).

So did a quick Google of found buried treasures

7 of the Biggest Treasure Troves Ever Found | Mental Floss
https://www.oddee.com/item_98717.aspx

Firstly I wonder if the people that found these hoards ever got to keep them.. Probably not I would guess

Anyway getting back to original question I would hypothesize one of the following

1. The person/s who buried the treasure died
2. The person/s who buried the treasure were imprisoned/stopped from returning to where they buried the treasure
3. The location of the treasure was lost
4. The treasure was actually lost/dropped/building collapsed/burnt/left over from battle etc and no one new there was treasure there
5. What was buried was not that valuable at the time and has become very valuable later. The original buryier did not bother to recover it
6. The treasure was never meant to be recovered for some reason maybe spite/fear/religious belief etc
7. The treasure was buried with someone for their afterlife (ie the pyramids)

Of the above reasons (feel free to add more to the list) it is difficult to find a reason that would match Oak Island treasure speculations. If the legend speculation is accepted (Flood tunnels/170+foot etc) then there must of been a lot of people involved in the burying of the treasure in the first place. That gets rid of most of the reasons on the above list. The only two that could possibly still apply in my view are 6 and 7.

Anything else one would of thought the treasure hiders would of come back and got there treasure. Most people that bury something valuable do so to hide it for a short period of time before they recover it and turn it into spending money.

The problem with 6 and 7 is why would someone go to OI to do either?

To me a major problem with the whole Oak Island Legend (I know there are many) is that people think that someone buried a treasure hoard and DID NOT COME BACK and get it....

I go with all of the reasons you listed above. Now, as far as the "Oak Island" thing? First, it's hard to wrap my mind around all the engineering feats/expertise involved in the construction of this "pit" from so long ago. How was it all ever done or accomplished. I must give it credit for that. I do not follow it anymore, so I'll just say that "Whatever" IT might be, perhaps one of two things, either the greatest unknown treasure of man kind, beyond our imagination, or something so inherently evil, that it was put their to protect the human race, hell I don't know........I doubt I'll ever live long enough for the first, and would prefer not to live long enough for the second. So........back to "TODAYS" Finds, instead of a long running "Future" finds.

 

[vespaboy]

As in the third season of the Detectorists show, their cache was a Roman burial.
No too deep.
The urn with coins and the persons private possessions.

*A great show BTW!

 

[ECS]

the stars overhead could provide a precise location of the treasure ?

Ever heard the phrase, "Stars in their eyes"?

 

[Tom Slikes53]

Ever heard the phrase, "Stars in their eyes"?

no, and apparently google hasn't either, only that it was/is? a British tv show...

 

[Stretch Da Truth]

I could go with the person dies and before that, they killed off everyone that helped them hide it.

#6 is the legend they spin about the Arc... or what happened in Indiana Jones really did happen so that's why its hidden so well so deep on OI.
#7 is totally Egyptian and I don't think anyone has a crackpot theory about Khufu going to OI to bury stuff he didn't want to be buried with.

I think I can get on the show if I develop some Crazy Egyptian tie in.... gonna get busy !

 

[Singlestack Wonder]

I could go with the person dies and before that, they killed off everyone that helped them hide it.

#6 is the legend they spin about the Arc... or what happened in Indiana Jones really did happen so that's why its hidden so well so deep on OI.
#7 is totally Egyptian and I don't think anyone has a crackpot theory about Khufu going to OI to bury stuff he didn't want to be buried with.

I think I can get on the show if I develop some Crazy Egyptian tie in.... gonna get busy !

Don’t forget the beale and simpson paper tie in’s.....

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Ever heard the phrase, "Stars in their eyes"?

Lady and the Tramp, Disney 1955 "Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes . . .