Worldcrunch
After more than 30 years, the “Golden Owl” has been found, ending frantic quests by thousands of players from around the world that involved wild excavations, low blows and even lawsuits. Based on mysterious clues from a book, this treasure hunt turned into a flourishing business, while keeping thousands of hunters hooked over decades.
Magnet fishing isn’t what it might sound like. The pastime has nothing to do with pulling in big fish, but rather hooking treasures thanks to a long rope and a strong neodymium magnet cast into your local (polluted) body of water. The usual catches are hardly shiny trophies: discarded bicycles, shopping carts, tools, old boots, […]
Working at the town hall in Morez, we imagine, must be a busy yet somewhat uneventful affair: There’s roadworks on the main rue de la République to take care of, planning for the reopening of the Eyewear Museum — and perhaps most stressful, worrying about budget and spending for this village of 4,800 nestled in […]
During its years of international isolation, Iran saw “culture” solely as a way to promote its Shia Islamic heritage. Yet Iranian officials recently have begun to take an interest in questions of national identity, heritage and Iranian civilization that are unrelated to the Islamic clerical regime and its values. As the country prepares to move […]
Anthropomorphic containers, ancient ceramic bowls, mysterious instruments, jewelry and delicate painting tools belonging to the native Colombian cultures that collapsed in the 16th century, before the onslaught of Spanish invaders. These were some of almost 700 items Spanish police confiscated from traffickers, which authorities in Madrid formally handed over to Colombia’s ambassador this week, a […]
A German perspective on the mind-boggling modern art discovery this week in Munich – one more sign that the Nazi past is fading into history.
A young climber discovered a treasure believed to be from a 1966 Indian plane crash and turned it in to authorities. Now nearby alpine towns fear wreckage seekers may come in droves.