10.2. Searching for a Hidden Treasure

There is no place, town or village, without a story about a hidden treasure, buried gold and belief that the one who finds it would become rich. In our part of the world, most such stories are linked with the wars in the past and cases when wealthy people hid gold from their enemies, or robbed an enemy and hid the treasure. An addition to such mysterious stories is that those who knew the secret died, disappeared into the unknown, and that the location of the hidden treasure remained secret. There are also stories about pirates, bandits or robbers who became rich by robbing people and hid, buried the stolen valuables. After their death, it was no longer known where the wealth had been hidden. As a child, I listened to the story about how during the Second World War the authorities found 24kg of golden jewellery buried in the walls of the house of an army officer. Soon after that, my mother took me for a visit to our relatives where, playing in the courtyard, I noticed that the neighbours were excavating something in silence. I approached the neighbours and saw that a man, hidden by a sheet, was digging out something, while others were carefully observing his work. I was a small child, so nobody paid attention to me. Around the hole in the ground, where the hidden explorer was digging, there were pieces of cutlery lying around. Some items were shining, others were very dirty. Naively, I watched and thought how come that the cutlery was not washed, and if there was cutlery, why there is no food. Later, when I grew up, I heard the story about how the neighbour of my relatives became rich, as he found a hidden treasure behind his house. This story could not be proven; some people said that it was true, others that it was invented.

I can freely say that most stories about hidden treasures are invented, or that the locations of the treasure are well hidden. There are very rare cases of somebody finding a treasure. Judging by the human nature, if a treasure was found, it remained hidden from the eyes and ears of other people. My friend who, when constructing his house and digging a pit for the foundations found a ceramic container full of old Roman silver coins, confirms the characteristics of those who find a valuable item. I asked him to give me a coin or two, as I was collecting them. He looked at me in fear and said that he was sorry for revealing his secret to me. If the municipal construction inspectors found out, they would prohibit him to construct the house. According to the most optimistic scenario, he would only be able to continue the construction in two or three years, when the archaeologists finished their work.