The Trials of
Treasure Hunting
Treasure
Hunting is not for the faint of heart and much more complicated
than just digging it up or taking it from the sea. To begin with,
time and money must be spent to qualify the existence of the treasure.
This is accomplished by first, researching the history that supports
the location and second, physically exploring the location using
geophysical instrumentation that confirms the presence of precious
metals and artifacts. Usually the archival research is done before
the first dollar is spent on exploration.
The
next step is dealing with local government and/or land owner that
control the property where the treasure has been deposited. In the
case of the Bahamas, The Government has eminent domain over all
antiquities,(Buried over 50 years)since passing The Monuments and
Museum Protection Act No. 5 of 1998. A formal petition for the removal
of the treasure is presented and if accepted, a permit is then issued.
But this is only the beginning.
Determining
the necessary equipment, the support and logistics and assembly
of a team of qualified personnel is imperative to assure that artifact
recovery is in accordance with all precepts of current archaeological
science. This is of the utmost importance as the academic society
can accurately point out too many examples where "smash and
grab" treasure hunters have destroyed the historical significance
and the worth of the recovered artifacts.
The
value of these artifacts is greatly enhanced by their history. Typically,
the intrinsic value may be multiplied many times over by conservation,
research, and documentation of the items recovered. For example,
a Spanish silver coin with no history attached may be sold on the
open market for as little as $300, but if the same coin is documented
as coming from a known shipwreck, such as the "Atocha",
it can bring up to $3,000! Need I say more?
Once
the artifacts have been recovered, more time and money must be spent
on documentation and research. The historical value attributed to
the artifacts is what treasure hunting is all about...if it is to
be profitable. Recovery is only the starting point. Additional research
is the next and most important step that must be taken before the
artifacts can be made available to the public.
In
order to be profitable, treasure hunting must be a marriage between
the sciences of modern technology, archaeology, and historical research.
All these components are equally important. Treasure Hunting is
about writing history, and that is what makes it so exciting!
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