Archeodeb
Full Member
I have been reading about this "treasure" since I was a kid, and after all the excitement, trying to figure it out, wishing I could go there to dig, etc. it occurred to me one day that the key to the whole thing IS the water. I don't believe it is booby-trapped at all. I think it is meant to hold water -- seawater -- on purpose. The coconut fibers, the elaborate layers of wood, mud and so forth, all sound to me like an attempt at desalinization to provide a fresh-water-well on a strategically located island. (A good stop-over for sailing ships that might not be welcome in more respectable ports -- if you catch my drift.) The whole thing -- when it was still new and not ruined by all the attempts to thwart the seawater from coming in, probably acted as huge filters to leave a layer of clean, fresh drinking water at the top of the hole, where it could easily be drawn into casks for watering the ships.
This sort of idea may not be as exciting as a treasure hoard, but fresh water in the right place was probably a more precious commodity to some, and sometimes a practical reason for the existence of a mystery gets shoved to the back by the need for entertainment and cheap thrills. I like Occam's razor as a starting point in problem solving.
Thoughts?
This sort of idea may not be as exciting as a treasure hoard, but fresh water in the right place was probably a more precious commodity to some, and sometimes a practical reason for the existence of a mystery gets shoved to the back by the need for entertainment and cheap thrills. I like Occam's razor as a starting point in problem solving.
Thoughts?