Other Sources of Treasure

Tombs, burial mounds, buried cities, and abandoned ruins were rich sources of treasure in earlier times. Egyptian pyramids, for example, often contained jewels, gold ornaments, richly decorated furniture, statues, and other precious objects. Nearly all pyramids were looted by treasure hunters in ancient times. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, treasure hunters carried away many art objects from the sites of ancient civilizations. They often carelessly destroyed other relics in their rush to obtain treasures that could be sold to collectors. By the 20th century many countries had laws controlling the excavation and exportation of historical relics and art objects.