Deepest recovered cache?

[GravelTeeth]

As a reference point, what is the deepest (from surface level, whatever that may be) any buried valuables cache has ever been recovered?

For purposes of this discussion, let's include hoards and archaeological sites, as long as the valuables are more than just mundane, everyday things (i.e. objects made of precious metals or gems, not wooden combs or pipe stems). Maybe even artworks might qualify. Let's NOT include shipwrecks, although things that are found underwater that were originally deposited on dry land might work, due to sea level rise, re-routed rivers, etc. I guess if people threw valuables in a well, that might count.

For the detectorists amongst us, what's the deepest you've ever had to dig for a find (granted that the depth range of the detector will largely determine such possibilities)?

So, for example, my understanding is that Celtic and Viking graves will sometimes involve a hill, artificial or otherwise, and the grave goods will be generally less than fifty feet from the top of that hill. Captain Kidd's treasure cache on Gardiners Island was supposedly dug up from a "shallow ravine", so not very deep.

--GT

 

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[Armchair detective]

Tutankhamun's vault was 26 ft down.

 

[achanceforgold]

I think some Bulgarian tombs were discovered about 15-20 years ago. They were from the Thracian era. The army found them on maneuvers. They were on top of a hill and one of the soldiers fell through to the tombs. The Mounds are all over southeastern Europe.

The first emperor of China's tomb was found at 47 meters from the top of the hill. It was larger when he was originally buried.

But on average, from what I heard, 18 inches is the optimum depth where people would hide money.

 

[Carl-NC]

As a reference point, what is the deepest (from surface level, whatever that may be) any buried valuables cache has ever been recovered?

An outstanding question, and one that I also thought about asking. I would discount tombs as those were often the product of very large operations. Ferinstance, the Egyptian tombs could be 10-15 meters deep and were cut from solid limestone, something that took a lot of people over a span of years.

If you consider ordinary treasure caches then 1-2 meters seems to be a common depth. A lot of treasure caches have been found in Europe, either by detectorists or by pure accident, and I can't recall anything over 2 meters deep. I also don't recall any buried treasure found in the Americas over 2m deep. As an example, Jimmy Normandi recovered the Goat Doctor's hoard from about 2m deep and I would consider that to be unusual. Most common coin caches are are only 1-2 feet deep.

On pirate treasure, I can't think of a single documented pirate treasure ever found except for what Kidd buried on Gardiner's Island, and it was supposedly not very deep. In fact, I can't think of a single other buried pirate treasure that has even a hint of reality associated with it. There are tons of stories of buried pirate treasure but I think they are all fabricated. However, supposedly in 1927 a Chilson bridge metal detector (early version of the BFO) was used in Panama to locate what was called a "pirate treasure," as reported by the New York Times. However, I've not been able to locate the article nor any evidence of what was recovered, but taking it at face value a Chilson bridge could detect a large mass of metal 1-2 meters deep at best.

Even if you assume anyone would ever dig a 100-foot hole to bury a treasure -- and I'm very certain they would not, regardless of the treasure -- the geology of OI pretty much guarantees it didn't happen there. It's been firmly established that the island has a highly permeable bedrock, essentially limestone, full of interconnecting cavities. As it's been demonstrated over & over, dig a hole anywhere on the island and you will hit these cavities and flood the hole. To think all that flooding -- in all those different holes -- is caused by man-made flood tunnels is simply beyond logic or credibility. The reality is, there is no way anyone could have buried anything on OI that deep, and especially not a "treasure vault." If someone did want to bury something of immense value in a vault 100 feet deep, they certainly would not be so stupid as to do it on an island where the highest point is 30 feet above sea level.

Regarding treasure vaults, the guys over in the "Treasure Marks/Signs" TNet forum are always talking about the "treasure vaults" they are looking for, most often by following rock signs they see in the desert. As far as I can tell, they seem to think these vaults are several meters deep and contain treasure. The reality of what I see is that they are chasing pareidolia and none of them have ever found even a hint of anything. Like so many other treasure legends I'm pretty sure these vaults don't exist. Most likely, any treasure vaults that might really exist would be something of the kind the Nazis are alleged to have had, where they likely used existing mine tunnels and the like. Building a treasure vault from scratch, especially by digging vertically, would be an enormous endeavor. 100 feet deep would just be silly.

 

[Armchair detective]

If it wasn't that deep to bury something, maybe it was that deep to EXTRACT something.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Carl-NC, theoretically speaking, have you participated in the recovery of a hoard?

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Likely many hoards recovered from hand dug wells. Say 25’ deep? Cisterns?

 

[KYgotGOLD]

Have people found stuff in wells. I always wanted to see what was at the bottom of Mine.

 

[achanceforgold]

Have people found stuff in wells. I always wanted to see what was at the bottom of Mine.

Yes, In Europe for sure. I've heard of a few. Viminacium being the biggest. It was the Roman provincial capital where they think the town officials throw the provinces taxes into the well just before they were attacked by Goth's I believe. Archeologist discovered the huge coin hoard about twenty years ago in the well.

In Carlisle UK, the city was re-digging the town well in the early 1900's and found the remains of a roman soldier. They figured he was murdered and thrown into the well. Imagine all the thousands of people who drank from that well over the centuries.
They have a display of it at the museum.

You never know What's at the bottom of the well

 

[n2mini]

The 90' Stone fake or not was at 90'. So it is possible to atleast 90' on OI. 15' in any direction might be a different story. Much easier to have dug a deep hole in that area and not hit water if your the first ones to dig. As each hole/tunnel has been dog over the years they have helped interconnect the water ways..

 

[robertk]

Much easier to have dug a deep hole in that area and not hit water if your the first ones to dig. As each hole/tunnel has been dog over the years they have helped interconnect the water ways..

If the bedrock is porous then there is no need to interconnect anything. There are millions of water wells all over the world that have a continuous supply of water just by digging down far enough, and they are nowhere near the ocean or any connecting tunnels.

 

[n2mini]

True, but no one has questioned the fact they did dig down 90' and not hit water. Some on here say that would be impossible to do on the island yet it happened. Be real hard to do now anywhere near the MP area from all the digging and tunneling that has been done in the area for the past 225 years, and once each area floods and then gets tapped into from another area it floods etc etc.. is all I'm saying... The first diggers only have to worry about the 'water-table' per si, compared to pre-existing flooded tunnels
I could dig a well in my back yard and hit water at 80' or it might be 800' or more, but my back yard as far as I know has never had multiply 10' caissons put down or had people digging down and tunneling all over the place which all ended up flooding.. Every hole they dig ends up hitting water.

 

[Carl-NC]

Likely many hoards recovered from hand dug wells. Say 25’ deep? Cisterns?

That is a "hole of convenience," dug for another purpose. No question, people have hidden things in wells. How many people have intentionally dug a 25-foot hole for the purpose of burying a treasure? How about a 10-foot hole?

 

[Carl-NC]

True, but no one has questioned the fact they did dig down 90' and not hit water. Some on here say that would be impossible to do on the island yet it happened.

The depth at which you hit a cavity that causes flooding is probably random. There might be places on the island where you can dig even deeper than 100' and not hit a cavity. But there are two points: 1) You don't pick a 30' high island if you want to bury something 100' deep, and 2) all the flooding that happens in all the holes is not due to man-made flood tunnels, it's purely natural.

 

[n2mini]

I agree why bury a treasure on OI. There are hundreds of small islands around there. Maybe that's the next TV Show. Yet, as the show has proved there were A LOT of things going on, on that island for some reason or another. Surely there was some kind of shipping dock on the mainland and folks didn't stop and off load goods on OI and have to mule it over to the other side of the island just to load it on a small boat to get it to mainland.. Even at the shore where they have found wood structures it's not very deep to get a big boat there..

 

[Silver-Surfer]

Are you familiar with the Arabia Paddlewheeler? It sunk on the Missouri river and was covered by silt and dirt before the river changed course over the years. It was searched for and found under 45 feet of sediment. It was eventually excavated and the contents and story have been made into a museum in Kansas City. The book on the whole story is quite interesting.

Arabia (steamboat) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ARC]

When one thinks of buried treasure they must realize one thing in that imagination...
Most treasure / valuables that were buried / secreted by burying....... were later retrieved.
No one buried something without the intention of later coming back to retrieve it.
Only the "lost" buries or the ones that the burier was unable to return for one reason or another exist or existed to be found which in overall percentages were extremely uncommon / rare.

IOW's... and IMO....
Anything that has been buried over time was only for a very short period of time in most cases.
Almost all of which would have been later recovered by either the person who buried it or someone who knew where to look for it.
This is just the "nature of the beast".
HENCE.... why so very few buried treasure findings.
Coupled with...
The treasure findings where the finders upon finding said treasure ... swore secrecy and secreted their find.
(as in the famous case of "Panther John "aka "Juan Gomez of Panther Key"... "who spent only Spanish doublooms" and was a hermit on an Island here.

 

[achanceforgold]

When one thinks of buried treasure they must realize one thing in that imagination...
Most treasure / valuables that were buried / secreted by burying....... were later retrieved.
No one buried something without the intention of later coming back to retrieve it.
Only the "lost" buries or the ones that the burier was unable to return for one reason or another exist or existed to be found which in overall percentages were extremely uncommon / rare.

IOW's... and IMO....
Anything that has been buried over time was only for a very short period of time in most cases.
Almost all of which would have been later recovered by either the person who buried it or someone who knew where to look for it.
This is just the "nature of the beast".
HENCE.... why so very few buried treasure findings.
Coupled with...
The treasure findings where the finders upon finding said treasure ... swore secrecy and secreted their find.
(as in the famous case of "Panther John "aka "Juan Gomez of Panther Key"... "who spent only Spanish doublooms" and was a hermit on an Island here.

I agree 100%.

Two to three feet absolute max. closer to 1 to 2 feet.
Unless they are burying something like the first emperor of China, that they never want disturbed, they want to retrieve it later.

If it is people burying money in their yards. The average is 18 inches, within sight of the master bedroom window. If they heard a sound in the night, they could look out their window and see if someone was digging up their money. It was shallow enough to be easily retrieved if they need it quickly. And yes, people have found coin caches at the bottom of post holes. Pull the post out and the money could be accessed.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

That is a "hole of convenience," dug for another purpose. No question, people have hidden things in wells. How many people have intentionally dug a 25-foot hole for the purpose of burying a treasure? How about a 10-foot hole?

The question was
“what is the deepest(from surface level, whatever that may be) any buried valuables cache has ever been recovered?”

I suspect there have been hoards recovered in wells, cisterns, and outhouses. There were usually at least one near every settlement.

 

[Armchair detective]

The exception is tombs of course.

Mentioning it because if you want to know how deep people in the past thought was deep enough to hide treasure, there are (I assume) accounts recorded of successful archeological digs which surely mention how deep they had to go to find it.