Anna Stenning asked:
When one speaks about the Caribbean resorts, one normally thinks about the beautiful blue sea, clear blue sky and wonderfully white sandy beaches. One would not believe that this is a country rich with history, which has shaped its culture today. Some of its historical tales include colonisation, slavery and cultural diversity. This can often be seen by visitors and tourists, through specific monuments and island features.
The Caribbean is a place of exotic beauty, with many people visiting it for its attractive features and year round sunshine. Many people see this as the ideal spot of celebrating wedding ceremonies and honeymoons. All of which could not have been possible without its diverse history and the major influences it has had upon modern fictional entertainment.
Pirates were also prominent figures in the Caribbean resorts. This explains the title of the movie ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, as they were very real and indeed did reside in the Caribbean. One of the areas in which pirates were renowned to have lived in Nassau, Bahamas, whereby visitors can view some of the historical come Disney influenced artefacts of the piracy period. This is described as the golden piracy era and is captured in a more exaggerated form than what they really were.
The pirates were viewed as rebels and terrorized much of the American continents, France, Britain and Spain. They were so called pirates for their reputation for robbery and causing crime across the continent, and travelling by sea. The word piracy is defined as robbery and other violent actions. It was towards the end of the seventeenth century that saw a large number of pirates take over the islands, with many of them using Tortuga as their main base.
The piracy colony was more troublesome in the Caribbean resorts and was a reaction to the end of the War of Spanish Succession. The piracy period lasted thirty years, it was a short period but one that had had a lasting effect onto Caribbean history. Although, many of the factual written records and fictional records are very much blurred, and some of the recorded information is still unknown as to whether they are true or false.
Due to the war there a lot of unemployed sailors, with a severe lack of employment in the legal sector, which raised the profiles of the pirates. As there was a lack of legal operations, the pirates were able to operate at a more public level and so grew in population. Infamous pirates such as Captain Bartholomew and Blackbeard were amongst the wanted criminals, however, unbelievably there is surprisingly very little evidence and recordings of their lives.
Both of which were known for their fierce nature and terrorism across the Caribbean, whilst many argue that they have played a strong part in influencing the stereotypical depictions of the modern day pirate characters in films and books.
One thing is for certain and that is pirates were grouped together as a way of undermining the Spanish rule and to break the rules on trading across the sea. Trading became highly regulated due to the pirate activities and so the Spanish found themselves unable to control the situation. This enabled the pirates to eventually establish their own colonies.
People visiting the Caribbean resorts today will be able to relive the glory days of piracy in a well-preserved Museum based in Nassau, which retells the stories of fact and fictional pirate characters. Much of the artefacts and relics include models, paintings, weapons and tour guides. Tourists are also able to experience a true pirates cuisine, which mainly consists of conch and other seafood delicacies.
David Cowley asked:
Fossil Fish
If there is anything that truly unites us to the past, it must be fossils. They are a record of how life not only existed thousands and millions of years ago but there is a record of how that life was shaped and formed over those years. Anyone interested in treasure hunting may have a particular interest in any type of antique or special find, but for some, there is no substituting the hunt for elusive fossil fish. While you may assume that you need to travel to some far-off and exotic land and become a full-fledged Indiana Jones to find this type of treasure, in reality many have been able to come across these ancient fossils in whatever local area they live, including parts of the central United States, as well as in Germany, China, Italy, and other such areas.
To find fossil fish you of course need to get off the beaten path a bit. Areas that are developed and suburbanized are probably not going to have many fossils readily found as the construction needed for a city or suburb is going to disturb the ground well below for the foundations of buildings. Most of these ancient fossils are found in areas that are not quite civilized such as in deep caves and caverns or even the dessert.
Fossil Fish
For instance, the state of Wyoming has yielding some amazing finds recently when it comes to fossil fish. Stingrays and mioplosus are common finds. The Green River Formation in southwestern Wyoming seems to contain a treasure trove of these ancient fossils from many different geological times. The city of Kemmerer welcomes fossil treasure hunters from around the world as they too search for their finds. There are some three million acres of public lands at which you may do some digging, and of course when you get tired of treasure hunting there is a wealth of other activities available to you as well. At Fossil Butte National Monument you can do some exploring on your own, or if you’re new to the hobby you can take a tour with a local ranger or guide. Even children can get in on the action as they find and clean their own fossils and other treasures.
Some of the tools you will need are safety glasses, hammer, chisel and a crow bar. The quarry area is littered with flat slabs or plates of sedentary rock that was formed on and ancient lake bed. When the fish or plant life died they fell to the lake floor and were subsequently buried with mud and silt. Pick up the slabs of rock and split them endwise to release the fossil treasures.
Some of the rarer fossil finds have commanded up to a quarter of a million dollars. The fossil’s value is determined by its rarity of the specimen, the size, and the quality of the bone definition. Wyoming is considered the fish fossil capital of the world.
Of course there really is no area of the world where you absolutely cannot find fossils. Many have literally stumbled across very valuable finds when just out fishing or hiking or rock climbing. While searching for fossil fish may be a bit difficult for those who are new to the activity, with the right guide and research manual you may find that this is a hobby that is well worth the pursuit.
Happy Treasure Hunting.
