List of treasure hunters

A treasure hunter is a person who, as either a vocation or avocation, searches for sunken, buried, lost, or hidden treasure and other artifacts.

Historical

• Heinrich Schliemann (1822-1890, German). He argued for the historical reality of places mentioned in the works of Homer and was an important excavator of Troy and of the Mycenaean sites Mycenae and Tiryns. He is considered by many to have been the "father of historical archaeology."
• E. Lee Spence (b. 1947, American. A pioneer in underwater archaeology, he is perhaps the world's most famous treasure hunter. He is noted for his expertise on shipwrecks and sunken treasure. Born in Germany to an American spy master, Spence writes and edits reference books as well as magazines (Diving World, Atlantic Coastal Diver, Treasure, Treasure Diver, and Treasure Quest), and publishes magazines (ShipWrecks, Wreck Diver); and a published photographer. Spence was 12 when he found his first five shipwrecks.^[1][2] Spence has salvaged over $50 million in valuable artifacts^[3] and was responsible, through his archival research, for the location of the wrecks of the side-paddle-wheel steamers Republic^[4] and Central America^[5][6] from which over a billion dollars in treasure has been recovered.^[7]
• Mel Fisher (1922-1998, American). Best known for finding the wreck of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha in 1985. The estimated $450 million cache recovered, known as the "Atocha Motherlode," included 40 tons of gold and silver and some 100,000 Spanish silver coins (pieces of eight), gold coins, Colombian emeralds, golden and silver artifacts, and 1000 silver bars.
• Robert F. Marx (b. 1923, American). A pioneering scuba divers best known for his work with shipwrecks and sunken treasure. Considered controversial for his frequent and successful forays into treasure hunting. E. Lee Spence described him as "the true father of underwater archaeology."^[8]

Fictional

Fictional characters include:

• Indiana Jones, a professor of archaeology and adventurer, and the main character in the Indiana Jones franchise of adventure films: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), its prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and its sequels Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Jones is notable for his trademark bullwhip, fedora, leather jacket, and fear of snakes. Portrayed by Harrison Ford.
• Benjamin Franklin Gates, main character in the National Treasure franchise of adventure films: National Treasure (2004) and its sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007). Portrayed by Nicolas Cage.
• Dirk Pitt, marine archeologist and main protagonist of a series of books written by Clive Cussler. Portrayed by Matthew McConeaughey in the film Sahara.
• Lara Croft, archeologist and title character of the popular Tomb Raider series of games. Portrayed by Angelina Jolie in two movies based on the game franchise, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life.
• Nathan Drake, or "Nate, main character of the game series "Uncharted", which counts three games, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

References

Bibliography

• Tolstikov, Vladimir; Treister, Mikhail (1996). The Gold of Troy. Searching for Homer's Fabled City. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 0810933942.  A catalog of the artifacts Schliemann excavated at Troy, with photographs.
• Wood, Michael (1987). In Search of the Trojan War. New American Library. ISBN 0-452-25960-6.