Indian Jones and Lara Croft have enthralled fans worldwide but did you know there are real indies and tomb raiders in the world with no less daring having accomplished considerable feats in archeology, pilfering tombs, diving for pirate gold and also making huge discoveries in the bargain. Take a look at 17 of the real-life treasure hunters who were also real-life Indiana Jones.
1Dr E. Lee Spence
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If there ever was a young Indy, then it is Dr. E. Lee Spence who turned out not only the youngest treasure hunter but also the most successful one at that. His first discovery was an old shipwreck found with diving gear he designed when he was just 12 years old. Spence has been attacked underwater twice and made many enemies but has yet managed to find artifacts and treasure worth $100 million.
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2Giovanni Battista
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The circus strongman who became an archaeologist for the money and ended up being a real-life tomb raider pillaging Egyptian Tombs and selling the artifacts to museums. Battista died young when he was just 45 while travelling to Timbuktu.
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3Mel Fisher
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Mel Fisher was a chicken farmer who was obsessed with treasure hunting. He discovered coins, jewelry and gold bars worth thousands of dollars during his obsessive quest for the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, a ship which sank in 1622 off Florida. Ironically, it was discovered by his son in 1985 and approximately $40 million in treasure was recovered from it which was shared by the Fisher family.
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4John Chatterton
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It was John Chatterton who discovered the RMS Lusitania and the Titanic and the Turkish ship Struma that was sunk by a German Submarine while escorting Jews escaping the Holocaust. His quest to find the 17th century Greek Ship, the Golden Fleece, was successful in 2008 but not before he had to fight off hostile treasure hunters and other governments.
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