171. Vampire Cemetery Found In Northwestern Poland
Location: Gliwice, Poland
Year Discovered: 2013
Est. Value: N/A
While constructing a railway in Gliwice, Poland, builders found something very unusual. Though it wasn’t uncommon to find the bones of old WWII soldiers, this find featured something shocking—a vampire grave that dated back centuries. The bodies in the grave had been buried in a way that ensured they wouldn’t rise again as vampires.
Vampire Cemetery Found In Northwestern Poland @Independent/Pinterest
A typical case of vampirism accusations involved a calamity, like a crop failure or plague. Individuals accused of being vampires would become scapegoats for the disasters, which, at the time, couldn’t be explained. It is thought that these bodies were buried during the 600s, a time when pagan beliefs in Slavic countries were still very widespread.
172. Oldest Surviving Image of an Animal Found in Sulawesi
Location: Sulawesi, Indonesia
Year Discovered: 2017
Est. Value: Priceless
Found on Sulawesi, an Indonesian island, this image is the oldest-known surviving depiction of an animal in the world. It was drawn 45,000 years ago, and it was made with dark red ochre. The life-sized picture depicts a Sulawesi Warty Pig in what appears to be a narrative scene.
Oldest Surviving Image Of An Animal Found In Sulawesi, An Indonesian Island @Griffith University/Youtube
Even 45,000 years ago, humans told stories. The short-legged, stocky, wild boar was part of whatever story this ancient person was telling and illustrating. Found in the Leang Tedongnge Cave, this image is the earliest evidence that humans settled in the region. As for the Warty Pig, he is still around, though, unfortunately, his species is “Near Threatened.”
173. The Grave of Miguel de Cervantes was Finally Found in 2014
Location: Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians, Spain
Year Discovered: 2014
Est. Value: N/A
Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes has been regarded as one of the best Spanish novelists in history. He is most famous for his work called Don Quixote, a novel that is often cited as the world’s first modern novel, as well as an apex of world literature.
The Grave of Miguel de Cervantes Was Finally Found In 2014 @cbsnews/Pinterest
Cervantes was born in 1547, and he died in 1616. For a long time, his grave remained a mystery. Though the Spanish knew the famed author was buried somewhere around Madrid, it wasn’t until 2014 that his gravesite was discovered on the grounds of the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians. The famed writer was laid to rest in a wooden grave with the initials “M.C.” on it. The grave was unassuming, and he was buried with ten other people, though, after his body was found, he was given a more regal burial, as befitting an artist of his stature.
174. Abstract Paintings Worth $34,375 Found in a Goodwill Store
Location: Concord, North Carolina
Year Discovered: 2012
Est. Value: $34,375*
It’s amazing what can be found at secondhand shops, especially when it comes to art. In 2012, Beth Feeback bought two $10 paintings at Goodwill in North Carolina. She planned to paint over the canvases with giant cat faces until, on a whim, she had them appraised after noticing an artist’s identification mark on the back.
Abstract Paintings Worth $34,375 Found In A Goodwill Store @moneywisecom/Pinterest
Luckily she did, as these diamond-shaped, abstract paintings were found to have been created by Russian artist Ilya Bolotowksy. One painting, titled Vertical Diamond, later sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $34,375, well over its original pre-auction estimate of $10,000 to $20,000.
175. 1959 Jaeger LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm Watch Discovered In Goodwill
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Year Discovered: 2015
Est. Value: $35,000*
A man scavenging through a Goodwill in Phoenix, Arizona found a watch for $5.99. Zach Norris, the collector, realized that the watch could be valuable, and he purchased it and, later, had it appraised. Norris’ instincts were correct, as this watch was a 1959 Jaeger LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm.
1959 Jaeger LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm Watch Discovered In Goodwill ©Oleg GawriloFF/Shutterstock
The dial even said “LeCoultre Deep Sea Alarm,” so it’s amazing that no one snagged it before Norris, who was at the Goodwill to find a golf cart. After having it appraised, Norris auctioned the watch off for $35,000. The Deep Sea Alarm is a rarity, as Jaeger-LeCoultre only made 1,000 of these for the American market in the late 1950s.
176. Roman Gladiator Grave Found in England
Location: York, England
Year Discovered: 2010
Est. Value: N/A (Human Remains)
According to York, England’s York Archaeological Trust, this find is the only “well-preserved” Roman Gladiator cemetery. Found in 2003 underneath York, this cemetery reveals the true brutality of ancient times. Features of these buried, decapitated Gladiators include bites from lions and massive muscles on unusually-large men.
Roman Gladiator Grave Found In York, England @dailymail/Pinterest
The Roman Gladiators’ grave was originally thought to be a prisoners’ grave until bites from a lion were found. Then, archaeologists realized that they were looking at the final resting place of Gladiators who engaged in Rome’s infamous blood-sport tournaments. Another huge clue as to the identity of these men was the arms. One arm was much larger than the other in many of the remains, which suggests that these Gladiators had trained from a young age to find a weapon in their dominant hand.
177. “Hobbit” Skeletons Discovered in Asia
Location: Liang Bua Cave, Indonesia
Year Discovered: 2004
Est. Value: N/A (Human Remains)
Lord of the Rings has amassed a fan base of millions, though who knew that there was a bit of truth to J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world? In caves located on a remote island in Indonesia, the skeletons of hobbit-like humans have been discovered.
“Hobbit” Skeletons Discovered In Asia @SilpaWattanatham/Facebook
These humans lived 17,000 years ago on the island, and their skulls were the size of grapefruits. They lived alongside Komodo Dragons, Pygmy Elephants, and more. Homo floresiensis, as the “hobbit’s” scientific name reads, were their own species of human’s closest ancestor, ancient hominins. The discovery, found in Liang Bua Caves, yielded important insight into the world of ancient beings.
178. Treasure Trove Recovered from a 366-year-old Shipwreck in the Bahamas
Location: The Bahamas
Year Discovered: 2022 (This Trove)
Est. Value: $1.6 billion* (Total Shipwreck Estimate)
It’s amazing how many pieces of gold and precious jewels have been found at the site of shipwrecks over the years. In 2022, a treasure trove was discovered at the site of the Nuestra Senora de las Maravillas, a 366-year-old shipwreck that is 43 miles off the Bahamian coast.
Treasure Trove Recovered from a 366-year-old Shipwreck in the Bahamas @ahglanton/Pinterest
Maravillas was traveling from Spain to Colombia when a navigational mistake caused it to collide with another vessel. The crash was devastating, and the wreckage is now spread across the ocean floor. Though the $1.6 billion shipwreck has had its treasures looted over the years, the discovery of this new trove is exciting for researchers. All in all, Maravillas was carrying 3.5 million pieces of treasure when it went to its watery grave.
179. WWII P-38 Discovered Under 300 Feet of Ice in Greenland
Location: Greenland Ice Sheets
Year Discovered: 1992, 2018
Est. Value: $1.75 million*
In July of 1942, during WWII, a fleet of P-38 Lightning fighter planes, as well as two B-17 bombers hit a nasty blizzard while they were fighting for the Allies in the British Isles. The aircrafts’ pilots conducted an emergency landing in Greenland. Though the crew was, thankfully, rescued, the planes were left behind.
WWII P-38 Discovered Under 300 Feet of Ice in Greenland @best_at_travel/Twitter
Greenland’s ice sheets, which are ever-shifting, buried the Lost Squadron, as the crafts were known. Despite being covered, in 1992, one of the P-38s was dug up and extracted from the ice, where it was restored to flight condition. Known as the “Glacier Girl,” this inspired people to keep searching for the Lost Squadron, and another was found in 2018.
180. New Type of Venomous Spider Found In, Of Course, Florida
Location: Miami, Florida
Year Discovered: 2021
Est. Value: N/A
If you’re afraid of spiders, this image is no doubt going to make you feel faint. This creature is called the Pine Rockland Trapdoor Spider, and, though it is related to the Tarantula, it is an entirely new species of its own. It was discovered, helpfully, near the Miami Zoo in Miami, Florida.
New Type of Venemous Spider Found In, Of Course, Florida @PatrynWorldLatestNew/Youtube
A zookeeper who was observing reptilian research traps spotted the spider and, bravely, trapped it for study after identifying it as a new species. The Pine Rockland Trapdoor Spider is a venomous “habitat specialist,” which means, like its fellow Trapdoor Spiders, it builds burrows to help it ambush prey.
181. An Extinct Prehistoric Fish Found Alive on a South African Fishing Boat
Location: Off the Coast of South Africa
Year Discovered: 2021
Est. Value: N/A
Well, you probably won’t want to try to debone and fry this fish. Known as the Coelacanth, this prehistoric fish is 400 million years old. It was thought to be extinct until some very shocked Argentinian fishermen snagged one in 1938. Then, in 2021, South African shark hunters found a group of Coelacanth, reconfirming that this old fish isn’t going anywhere.
An Extinct Prehistoric Fish Found Alive on a South African Fishing Boat @PatrynWorldLatestNew/Youtube
Sorry, haters, the Coelacanth is here to stay. Fishing nets that went 400-500 feet below the water were able to snag these fish and bring them back up, alive, into the boat. Unfortunately, it is these new nets that are a threat to the survival of this ancient fish population in countries like South Africa and Madagascar.