: Many early modern hunts were steeped in the supernatural, with "expert magicians" hired to locate treasure and communicate with guarding spirits like ghosts or djinns.
The allure of buried gold has driven humanity to the depths of the earth for millennia. While modern cinema often paints tomb raiding as a high-stakes adventure, the real history is a complex mix of economic desperation, state-sanctioned looting, and the messy evolution of archaeology. 1. Ancient Origins: A Crime Against Eternity Short History of Tomb-Raiding: The Epic Hunt fo...
: In the 9th century, Arab ruler Ibn Tulun established guilds of "seekers" ( mutalibun ) who were actually taxed on their finds. : Many early modern hunts were steeped in
: Because tombs were seen as vehicles to the afterlife, robbing them was considered sacrilegious. Legal documents from the 20th Dynasty (1189–1077 B.C.E.) detail trials of gangs who pillaged rock-cut tombs in Thebes. Legal documents from the 20th Dynasty (1189–1077 B
: Even the earliest Predynastic tombs were plundered for their treasures.
: In the early 19th century, figures like Giovanni Battista Belzoni—a former circus strongman—became famous for moving massive artifacts, such as the bust of Ramesses II , from Egypt to European museums. 3. The Modern Era: From Curiosity to Conservation