Among all the gold, silver, and diamonds you would expect, was also the Fiery Cross of Goa that was made of pure gold and inlaid with diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. , Levasseur made the most lucrative capture of his pirating career: the Nossa Senhora do Cabo. DANSDUUI OOUQNDORMIRUNHOMMR Several years later, Levasseur settled down in Seychelles, an island off East Africa, in the Indian Ocean. The treasure is rumoured to be in the Bel Ombre area on Mahs northern coast (Credit: Helen Soteriou). John explained that the fascinating tale of the treasure started in 1716 when Frenchman Olivier Levasseur, otherwise known as 'La Buse' (The Buzzard) because of the speed with which he would. These were the dramatic words shouted out to the crowd by the pirate Olivier Levasseur, also known as La Buse as the noose tightened around his neck at the gallows on Bourbon Island ( now called Reunion island). Levasseur's quartermaster at this time was Paulsgrave Williams, who had been Bellamy's quartermaster and fellow captain until Bellamy was killed in a storm off Cape Cod. After so many obstacles placed in our way had been overcome, the bond was the final straw. When we in the modern world picture pirates of the golden age of sail, much of what comes into our heads is purest fantasy. 1920 a woman, on the isle of mahe in the indian ocean, found a rock with markings on it. The text were first reviewed in earnest by Englishman Reginald Cruise-Wilkins in 1947, but the cryptogram proved to be far more difficult to decipher than first thought. Olivier Levasseur Hidden Treasure. Oak Island is noted as the location of the so-called Money Pit, a site of numerous excavations to recover treasure believed by many to be buried there. They have never been found. He was eventually captured and hanged on the island of Bourbon (today Runion), on 7 July 1730) 17h00, for his crimes of piracy. (This incident would later be used by Robert Louis Stevenson in his novel Treasure Island, in which the galleon is referred to as The Viceroy of the Indies in the account given by his famed fictional character Long John Silver.). Raise his white pirate flag and go in search of the treasure he had hidden. And perhaps such skepticism is justified. And Im rooting for him to have the last laugh. While the cipher is not directly linked to Oak Island, the activity in which it may be involved shares certain characteristics and there is a possibility that some of the elements of the story come from that other famous supposed cache of treasure. Shocking Evidence Homo Naledi Used Fire 230,000 Years Ago, The Discovery that Revealed Ancient Humans Navigated the Seas 130,000 Years Ago, Han Purple: A 2,800-year-old artificial pigment that quantum physicists are trying to understand, 6 Shockingly Successful Ancient Warfare Tactics, 6 Advanced Ancient Inventions Beyond Modern Understanding. Henry Everys story deserves an entire episode dedicated to his life story as well. Do any of these arrowheada look like theyre of value? Bellamy did not want to leave the Caribbean, so he decided to stay behind. One that is still talked about and discussed, to this day. 17th Century British Christmas Ban Led to Civil War, Eight Historic Lies about the Ancient World that will Blow Your Mind, Chicagos Replica Sword is Actually an Authentic 3,000-Year-Old Weapon. They landed 250 men on board and killed the crew. "[7] The necklace has been lost, but treasure hunters have since tried to decode the cryptogram, hoping its solution will lead to a treasure. Such is the treasure of Olivier Levasseur, The Buzzard and the code he left behind as to where he left his booty. The other, which is a 17-line cipher, became known due to its publication in a 1934 book entitled Le Flibustier Mysterieux, by Charles Bourrel de la Roncire, a French marine historian. This episode was written and produced by me, Bradley Hall. After hiding out for sometime to let the seas calm, so to say, Levasseur and his crew sailed north to begin preying on easy targets again. NVOVLENQUILNISEIUDFKUUNEFEMMRQ Home DNA testing has exploded in popularity in recent years, with millions of people around the world using these kits to learn more about their ancestry and genetic health risks. JavaScript is disabled. But for John, as for his father, the search has become his life, an intellectual and physical undertaking into which hes poured all his energy and savings. From Barry Clifford finding of Black Sam Bellamys flagship along with a stockpile of his treasure, to Cliffords finding in 2015 of Captain Kidds treasure. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. The alliance between the two men would split almost as quickly as it was made. Hope you could get them! Oak Island ( 443100?N, 641757?W) is a 140 acre (570,000 m) island in Lunenburg County on the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. But there, Levasseur learned of an opportunity to turn his fortunes around: a wealthy French trader was anchored in the adjacent Paranagua Bay. He would keep all the spoils of war for him and his men to enjoy. POVRENPECGERUNEFEMMEDHRENGTVOUSNAVE Following the weather-worn marks on the rocks, which coincided with those on the cryptic map, Wilkins reached a point near the edge of the cliff, and started to blast his way down through the rock. By this time he was every inch a pirate, with years at sea and a rakish scar across one eye, later covered with a patch. You are using an out of date browser. she found two chests with two dead pirates. The fortune is estimated to be worth a billion or more in today's. He started from three cryptogram and two . But just because it hasnt been found, doesnt necessarily make the treasure a myth. There was also a map from 1729 and she found out that the northern parts of Mahe belongd to "la Buze". His biggest success was the conquering of the Portuguese vessel Nossa Senhora do Cabo (The Virgin of the Cape), which was full of gold. As the legend says, Levasseur threw into the . Cicco Simonettas Treatise on Decipherment. In 1724, Levasseur sent a negotiator to the governor on the island of Bourbon (present-day Runion) to discuss an amnesty that had been offered to all pirates in the Indian Ocean who would give up their practice. Our open community is dedicated to digging into the origins of our species on planet earth, and question wherever the discoveries might take us. No one except Levasseur now knew its location. After skirmishes with the Brazilian and Portuguese at Ilha Grande and Ubatuba, where ten pirates were killed, La Louise took shelter in Cananeia for some days. Before his execution, Levasseur supposedly revealed the whereabouts of his buried loot through a cryptogram. In spite of the numerous failed attempts to locate the treasure, there are those who have dedicated their lives to finding it and are not ready to give up just yet. So today, we are going to look at another story of Pirate treasure. Since 2009, hes been doing preparatory work on the site, repairing rock armouring walls, building footpaths to get equipment in and working on measurements, clues and other data to get this right. Nevertheless, the pirate lost his ship, and with only sixty of his crew left, escaped on a small sloop. When the conflict ended in 1714, Versailles no longer needed its privateers. He received a letter of marque from the French King, Louis XIV, during the War of the Spanish Succession, and became a privateer in the service of the French Crown. Born at Calais during the Nine Years' War (1688-1697) to a wealthy bourgeois family, Levasseur became an architect after receiving an excellent education. After a small skirmish with the Portuguese killing 10 of La Buses men, the La Louise took shelter Cananeia to allow the smoke to blow over. Mutually Assured Destruction: Has it Happened Before? AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. Easily the most famous buccaneer on the list and possibly the most terrifying pirate of all time, Blackbeard had a reputation of horrific magnitude in his day. According to John, a historian described it as 'a floating treasure house, believed to consist of gold and silver bars, precious stones, uncut diamonds, guineas, church plate and . But back to regular programminglets chat about pirates and treasure and cryptograms. Needless to say, this peculiarity of Levasseurs has become one of the most iconic features in todays popular imagery of pirates. Legend tells of a pirate named Olivier Levasseur who, while standing on the scaffold to be hanged, threw a necklace containing a 17-line cryptogram into the crowd while exclaiming: "Find my treasure, he who can!" The necklace has been lost, but the cryptogram has lived on. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. Whilst Levasseur was a notorious and much-feared pirate during his days, his greatest legacy is the alleged treasure that he had hidden. John explained that the fascinating tale of the treasure began in 1716, when Frenchman Olivier Levasseur, also known as La Buse (The Buzzard) because of the speed with which he attacked his enemies, received a letter from the Marquis to act as a private. He believes that this was done in order to secure the governments stake on the booty haul. Even so, this 17-line cryptogram seems genuine, even if its cleartext is extremely confused and its supposed link with La Buse (and indeed with pirate treasure at all) appears extremely spurious. DEMIELLEEFOVTREFOUSENFAITESUNEONGAT Yeah, you, the one still reading. This draws a parallel with the little known island legacy of an ancestral rum-making heritage and authenticity that combines dedication and passion. (Oliver La Bouche) or Levasseur. In reality, the pirates of old were lawless thugs who terrorized merchant shipping, taking advantage of the relatively unexplored and unpoliced seas around the Caribbean, reaching upwards towards Florida. We would like your permission to use third party cookies. He raced from safe harbor to safe harbor, at Cananeia, at Ilha Grande and at Ubatuba, always driven on by the relentless Portuguese. The Cryptogram of Olivier Levasseur. Levasseur plied his pirates trade in the lucrative Indian Ocean. [Online]Available at: http://cipherfoundation.org/older-ciphers/la-buse-cryptogram/, www.levasseur.org, 2004. The Mystery of the Bermagui Five, (In Pics) Six Abandoned Insane Asylums: Dungeons for the Helpless. 7 Legendary Cryptids that Turned Out to Be Real! He decided to pack up his talents, and head to the Bahamas. Beale. Based on what he uncovered, he believed the bounty was buried according to a complex riddle inspired by the 12 Labours of Hercules, and, after many years identified the treasure to be in the stunningly beautiful area of Bel Ombre on Mahs northern coast, surrounded by turquoise sea, lush vegetation and huge smooth granite boulders sculpted by the waves. But this was only the beginning of the legend of his hidden treasure. Jolly Roger flag of pirate Olivier Levasseur (La Buse), described as a "white ensign with a figure of a dead man spread in it". UUNDIFFURQECIEEFURTETLESL. By bringing together top experts and authors, this archaeology website explores lost civilizations, examines sacred writings, tours ancient places, investigates ancient discoveries and questions mysterious happenings. 2013. Over a century ago a cryptogram and a cryptic map, said to be copies of the papers drawn from within his silk shirt and thrown to the crowd by the arrogant Levasseur just before he was hanged, were given to Berthe Morele by her father. Hey! Until his death at Runion, Cruise-Wilkins sought and dug in the island of Mah. Some of them do it in the hope of finding lost Spanish A 1,300-year-old gold and gemstone necklace discovered in central Englands Northampton in the grave of an elite woman has been hailed as of international importance. In 1718, Levasseur narrowly avoided capture by Captain Francis Hume of the HMS Scarborough off the coast of La Blanquilla in the Eastern Caribbean. Taken at face value, this plaintext would appear to have nothing at all to do with piracy or treasure or indeed Olivier Levasseur himself: rather, it looks much more like a scrambled (and multiply miscopied) recipe for a traditional folk remedy, or perhaps even a folk magic love spell. Then it seemed there was a breakthrough. An art collector from New Mexico, who had a bright idea in 2010. Levasseur operated as a privateer, and he decided to join the pirate Benjamin Hornigold . In 1724, the king of France, Louis the 15th, would extended an offer of amnesty to all pirates operating in the Indian Ocean. When the war ended he was ordered to return home with his ship, but he instead joined the pirate company of Benjamin Hornigold in 1716. Note that Poe later changed the second line to twenty-one degrees and thirteen minutes, so both 21 and 41 are correct. This became an iconic symbol of pirates, especially in todays pop culture. Breaking News: Worlds Oldest Runestone Discovered in Norway! He also took their ship and left them with a smaller boat. Posted in Adventure, Historical articles, History, Sea, Ships on Thursday, 2 June 2011. It wasnt because he felt the need to accessorize though. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2022Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. In recent years, images of a previously unknown second version of the cryptogram began appearing on the Internet: Even though this contains broadly the same seventeen line cryptogram (though with a number of minor differences), it also has an additional five lines that were written using the same cipher system, which can be decrypted to read: Elsewhere on the picture are the words LA BUSE (again enciphered using the same system), along with a drawing of a pirate (presumably La Buse) about to be hanged in front of a church (La Buse was taken to Runion and hanged there for piracy on 7th July 1730), along with a number of pirate-style features a copy of a map of the Caribbean, various pirate ships and prize ships, treasure, powder kegs, and numerous stylized details. 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