Every nation has its own myths and legends. For example, many residents of Poland can tell the story of Antoni Jaczewski, an inventive swindler who swindled hundreds of people out of a lot of money in the 17th and 18th centuries. At that time, the country faced two big problems: war and the plague epidemic. According to legend, the cunning Anthony decided to take advantage of the situation and announced that he had healing powers and treated visitors for “donations” in his home, far from the cities. Many years have passed since then, and no one was sure that such a person really existed. But recently, archaeologists found more than convincing evidence of the reality of the legend – they unearthed a treasury that clearly belonged to a Polish swindler.
One of the most interesting coins found in the treasury of Anthony Jachevsky. Photo source: thehistoryblog.com
Antony Yachevsky – the legendary swindler
In ancient times, as today, there were many adventurers and swindlers. But some cunning people were so inventive and successful that their names went down in history. According to The History Blog, one of these celebrities was Pole Antoni Jaczewski.
According to legend, in 1708 this man began to tell everyone that the Virgin Mary had endowed him with the gift of healing. He built a dwelling in the mountains and offered help to everyone for “donations” in the form of gold and silver coins, as well as other valuables. Considering that in those days people were frightened by war and plague, the charlatan had plenty of clients.
Over time, he made so much money that he had to hire security. But this was not enough for him, so the adventurer sent guards to commit robberies. This attracted the attention of the authorities, so he was quickly arrested. However, Anthony Yachevsky did not put up with this and escaped from prison to his home. Where he was was well known, but no one touched him – they say that the Pope stood up for him.
In 1712, he took up his old ways again, so he was again sent into custody. This time he failed to escape, and no one was going to let him go. It is believed that he was sentenced to life imprisonment, and somewhere in Poland his treasury remained with all the money obtained by deception.
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Scientists found treasures in Poland
For many years, the reality of the existence of Anthony Jachevsky and his treasury remained in question. The legend was confirmed only in 2022, when a cache of silver coins was not found with the help of a metal detector in the Helene Mountains near the Polish city of Kielce. Polish archaeologists spoke about this discovery only a year and a half after the discovery. They decided to disclose the information only after the coins were transferred to the Historical and Archaeological Museum in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski.
Until this time, Antoni Jaczewski was considered a fictitious person from a legend, but having found his treasures, we confirmed that such a person really existed,” announced the head of the research team, Sebastian Grabowiec.
Silver coins found in Poland. Photo source: Swietokrzyska Exploration Group
There is no particular doubt that the treasury belongs to Anthony Yachevsky. The fact is that, according to legend, he lived in the mountains just near the city of Kielce. There are too many similarities between the details from the legend and the real find to consider the discovery a mistake.
It is unknown exactly how many coins were in the treasury. But scientists say there are many of them – they date back to the 17th and 18th centuries AD and are mostly made of silver. Scientists especially liked the Hamburg ducat of 1648 with the image of the Madonna and Child (Madonna Litta). It was pierced, so researchers believe it was worn instead of a medallion.
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It seems that the treasury of the legendary swindler can be added to the list of the most amazing archaeological finds that everyone needs to know about. One of these finds is also the treasury in the Balmaku cave, which is located on the Yucatan Peninsula. Inside the cave, archaeologists found more than 150 ancient objects that belonged to representatives of the ancient Mayan civilization. Artifacts used in everyday life and rituals remained untouched for several thousand years.