Treasure

For the video game developer, see Treasure Co. Ltd.

Treasure is a concentration of riches, often that which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered. Some jurisdictions legally define what constitutes treasure such as in the English Treasure Act 1996. Searching for hidden treasure figures in legend and fiction but real-life treasure hunters exist and seek lost wealth for a living. Archaeologists are sometimes described as treasure hunters, especially those from the 19th century, although they themselves rarely wish to be associated with the term. Treasure hunters are often accused by archaeologists of pillaging ancient sites in their quests, destroying valuable information in the process. Illegal sales of antiquities to foreign buyers are also attributed to illicit treasure hunting.

Supposedly hidden treasures:

• Captain Kidd
• Oak Island
• Treasure of the Knights Templar
• Rennes le Château
• Treasure islands

Treasure found by treasure hunters:

• Ringlemere gold cup

Damage caused by treasure hunters:

• Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains
• Many barrows

Treasure in film and literature

• The Maltese Falcon
• Treasure Island (film) (1934)
• Robert Louis Stevenson' Treasure Island (1882)
• Tom Swift books
• Nibelungenlied
• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

See also

• Buried treasure
• Treasure Trove
• Leprechaun
• Metal detector
• Romanian Treasure
• Spanish treasure fleet