Some of the most entertaining movies have protagonists racing against time and going on wild adventures to retrieve stolen or missing treasures. This was the plot for many successful films over the decades, including Indiana Jones, The Goonies, The Mummy, and more.
These popular stories centered on treasure hunts are often based on the hundreds of historical artifacts that are still missing today, some of which would be worth millions if found.
Here are some of the most important treasures that remain lost to us:
Stolen Aztec Gold
The Aztec Empire was formed in 1428 with the alliance of the city-states of Mexico: Tenochtitlan, Tetzcoco, and Tlacopan. Their land was rich in natural resources and gold, which made it a popular target for conquerors and settlers. The empire thrived for more than 200 years until the Spanish conquistadors disturbed their peace.
Hernán Cortés led the expedition to colonize Mexico. He gained control of the Aztecs by capturing their ruler, Montezuma. However, the empire foisted a successful rebellion led by the Tenochtitlan faction. Cortés and his crew were forced to leave in the dead of night on June 30, 1520, with a massive haul of Aztec gold and other valuable items from Tenochtitlan palaces.
One of Cortés’ ships sank into Lake Texcoco, killing many of his crew. The lake dried up in the 17th century, but most of the stolen gold remains lost, said to have been melted down into coins and redistributed throughout Spain.
In 2020, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History confirmed that a gold artifact discovered in 1981 was part of the stolen treasures.
The Knights Templar Treasures
The Knights Templar was the Catholic Church’s elite military force in the Middle Ages. They were skilled in battle and said to be quite adept in financial matters. The knights were meant to be sworn to poverty, but they remained in control of the wealth and treasures donated by citizens.
The Knights Templar was dissolved in October 1307, and not much is known about the treasures that ended up in their possession. All they had collected over the years—in the guise of helping to protect Jerusalem or ensuring charitable citizens would have a place in heaven—were no longer in their treasury.
While nobody knows the exact treasures they possessed, historians believe they had the following:
- Black obsidian chalice
- Templar sword
- Iron reliquary box, which may have contained more relics
The Amber Room
The Amber Room was an opulent space made of gold panels and chambers decorated with gemstones. It was over 500 square meters and contained over 13,000 pounds of amber. Experts have pegged the room and its contents to be worth $176 million today. Unfortunately, no one knows where it is—the room and its contents have been missing since World War II.
It was originally created for the Prussian monarchy in 1701, housed at the Charlottenburg Palace. When Peter the Great visited in 1716, he expressed such love for it that Prussian ruler Frederick William I gifted him the entire room. It was shipped to the Winter House in St. Petersburg in 18 large containers.
Peter the Great’s daughter, Empress Elizabeth, loved it so much that she had it transferred to the Catherine Palace. This was the summer residence of Russian leaders in Pushkin, some 30 kilometers away from St. Petersburg. The Amber Room was last seen here before disappearing during World War II.
In 1941, Germany occupied the Soviet Union and had the Amber Room disassembled and boxed up. Despite numerous theories about where they could have gone, it had not been seen since.
Honjo Masamune Sword
Japan has been home to the world’s best swords and swordsmiths for hundreds of years. In the 13th and 14th centuries, a collective declaration named Goro Nyudo Masamune the best swordsmith in the country. He famously created the Honjo Masamune sword, which became the symbol of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
The sword was passed from one shogun to the next until the end of World War II, when the United States occupied Japan. The sword was surrendered to U.S. authorities, and it was never seen again.
Crown Jewels of Ireland
The Jewels of the Order of St. Patrick, or the Irish Crown Jewels, consisted of a badge and an eight-pointed star created in 1831. The center of the badge featured an emerald trefoil and ruby cross, while the rest consisted of Brazilian diamonds. Nearly 400 precious stones from the English Crown Jewels dotted the two pieces.
The jewels were created for the Grand Master of the Order of St. Patrick. They were last seen on the Earl of Aberdeen Joseph Gordon Campbell at a St. Patrick’s Day function on March 15, 1907. On June 11 of the same year, the jewels were still inside the Ulster King of Arms safe at the Bedford Tower in the Upper Castle Yard. On July 6, 1907, the crown jewels were found missing.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, offered his assistance in solving the case. Scotland Yard and the Dublin Metropolitan Police offered rewards for any information regarding the theft.
More than 100 years later, the jewels are still missing. Their current estimated value is €5 million.
The Library of Ivan the Terrible
Also known as the Golden Library or Library of Ivan the Terrible, the collection was reportedly begun by the tsar’s grandparents. It included books from the Library of Constantinople before it fell, along with some manuscripts from the ancient Library of Alexandria.
Ivan the Terrible, the first Russian tsar, enriched the collection with 142 volumes of the History of Rome and the full version of Cicero’s “De Re Publica.” He also reportedly translated many of the ancient manuscripts into Russian.
The Russian leader died of a stroke on March 28, 1584. The library, which was last kept in the basement of the Moscow Kremlin, disappeared around the same time. Some say it was destroyed by fire, while others believe it was simply well-hidden. Many are still looking for the library today.
The Ark of the Covenant
Fans of Indiana Jones know the Ark of the Covenant very well, as it is supposed to make an army invincible. But while Raiders of the Lost Ark was a work of fiction, it is widely believed that the Ark of the Covenant was real.
The Ark of the Covenant was God’s physical manifestation of supreme power and the Israelites’ most sacred relic. Ancient Israelites took the Ark to battles and believed it helped them win, and touching it caused a person’s death. Its power was described in many biblical texts across centuries, representing God’s continued presence and people’s faith.
The Ark was kept at the Temple of Jerusalem’s holiest chamber before the turn of the Common Era. It reportedly disappeared when Babylon sacked Jerusalem in the 6th century BCE (Before the Common Era).
Historians and art enthusiasts still hope to find the Ark even if no one has set eyes on it since the Common Era began.
Bayeux Tapestry – The Last Panels
The Bayeux Tapestry was an embroidered cloth that illustrated the story of the Norman Invasion of England in 1066, led by William I the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. It was about 230 feet long and 20 inches tall. It was said to be commissioned by either William’s wife, Matilda of Flanders, or half-brother, Odo of Bayeux.
According to records, the tapestry was kept at the Bayeux Cathedral in 1476, 1562, 1729, and 1730. During the French Revolution, the cloth was used as a cover for military wagons. However, they recognized the importance of the Bayeux Tapestry and hid it for safekeeping until the war was over. It was later brought to the Louvre during World War II.
The tapestry eventually made its way back to the Bayeux. It is on display at the Bayeux Museum until the end of 2024, when it will undergo restoration and conservation.
However, some parts—specifically, the final panels—of the cloth had been missing since it was rediscovered some 300 years ago. Many believed that around 8 to 10 feet of the Bayeux Tapestry had been removed and would have illustrated William’s coronation on Christmas Day 1066.
Nobody knows where the original end of the artifact is. However, in 2013, a team of embroiderers augmented the tapestry with the presumed ending.
They followed the original stitching patterns and techniques and used similar colors to portray the coronation. Eagle-eyed observers may be able to distinguish where the original ends and where the reproduction starts. And the original ending remains missing.
Is There Any Hope of Finding These Lost Treasures?
These are only a few of the missing treasures of the world—hundreds more may have been completely lost and destroyed over time. Still, there remains hope that some historical artifacts may secretly be in the hands of collectors and will emerge eventually.
Only time will tell if any of these artifacts will ever be found and displayed in their full grandeur for the public. In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy the fictional books and films where they are miraculously found.
