Inventory: Treasure Map

The item that allows every Minecraft player to embrace their inner pirate: navigating through dense forests and sailing across deep oceans, we search for treasures and rare game structures. This week’s featured item is the treasure map!

Treasure maps were introduced in Minecraft during the Exploration Update back in 2016, and they are also known as exploration maps. Alongside them, llamas and totems of undying made their debut. These maps assist players in locating rare items and places within the game, such as mansions, monuments, and various treasures like blocks, ores, and more. The easiest way to acquire a treasure map is by trading with a cartographer villager at the apprentice level. One map will cost you 11 emeralds and one compass, which isn’t too steep. If the price seems excessive, consider haggling; there’s a chance the villager might offer you a discount.

There are three types of exploration maps in Minecraft Bedrock: ocean, forest, and buried treasures. The first two can be obtained from a villager, but the last one requires you to search for it on your own. Typically, treasure maps are found within underwater ruins and shipwrecks. If you’ve decided to pursue them, make sure to prepare your diving suit and set off for some aquatic adventures!

Once you have acquired the map, there’s just one more step left — to locate the treasures! The hidden treasures on the map are marked with a red cross. If you find yourself outside the treasure area, the cross will be positioned right at the edge of the map. Head in the indicated direction, and you’re sure to discover what you’ve been searching for! Even though the prospect of finding treasures is enticing, the journey of searching is far more thrilling than the outcome! In today’s world, treasure maps have long lost their significance, and it’s likely that most people have only encountered them in fantasy and adventure films.

One of the earliest known examples indicating treasure burial is the Copper Scroll. Discovered among other Dead Sea scrolls in 1952, it is believed by scholars to date back to between 50 and 100 AD. The Copper Scroll lists 63 locations where gold and silver were stored, along with directions to these sites.

For instance: “In the ruins located in the valley of Acor, beneath the steps leading eastward, forty long cubits: a chest of silver and its vessels weighing seventeen talents.” To this day, not a single treasure from the scroll has been found. This is likely due to the outdated references; much has changed since then, making it nearly impossible to interpret what is meant by certain terms.

In the real world, pirates are not quite like the portrayals we see in movies. However, Francis Drake came remarkably close to embodying the classic image of a pirate as we understand it today. He buried a vast amount of gold and silver, hiding it in what is now Panama. After that, he returned for his ship, and just six hours later, all the treasures were back in his possession.

The pirate most famous for legends surrounding hidden treasure is Captain Kidd. It is said that he concealed loot stolen from the ship “Quedagh Merchant” near Long Island in New York. Unfortunately, he was captured and executed before he could retrieve his riches. Since then, explorers have yet to uncover any trace of them.

I also enjoy hiding my belongings for safekeeping! For instance, I’ve tucked away the perfect conclusion to this article. Wait, where did I bury it?