Cursed Treasures You Should Probably Leave Alone

Let me ask you a question.

Say you’re wandering around in the middle of nowhere and you stumble upon a treasure chest. You open it up and find a mountain of gold coins. Jackpot, right? But wait, there’s a note that says the treasure is cursed, and if you take any of the gold, you will die a horrible death.

What would you do?

Maybe I’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean one too many times, but I would not touch a thing that could even remotely be cursed. My philosophy on curses is pretty simple: why risk it? For proof, here are five supposedly cursed treasures and locations from around the world that will make you think twice before digging up any dirt.

1. The Charles Island Curse, USA

This small island off the coast of Milford, Connecticut, is also known as "Thrice Cursed Island."

* Curse 1: The chief of the local tribe considered the area sacred and warned that any European shelter built there "will crumble to the earth and he shall be cursed." No structure has ever lasted long on the island.

* Curse 2: The infamous pirate Captain Kidd was said to have cursed the island in 1699, where his treasure is supposedly buried.

* Curse 3: In 1721, a third curse was placed upon the island by a Mexican Emperor whose riches were allegedly hidden there by sailors.

In 1850, two treasure hunters did find a chest, but legend says that when they opened it, they were greeted by a flaming skull and were either killed by spirits or went insane. Either way, no other treasure has been found, and people often report mysterious lights and sounds coming from the area.

2. Oak Island Money Pit, Canada

The mystery of Oak Island, a tiny island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, began in 1795. Teenage boys saw strange lights and noticed a freshly dug hole. Since pirates were rampant in the area, they figured a large amount of treasure was buried there. As they dug, it got stranger and stranger: wooden barriers, layers of coconut shells, and an etched stone with a strange code. It was deciphered to read: "40 ft below 2 million pounds are buried." People from all over the world, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, have tried to find the elusive treasure, but no one has uncovered who buried what or why. Many have died trying to find these answers. One legend says that seven people must die before the money is found. To this day, only six people have died.

3. The Lost Dutchman Mine, USA

The fabled treasure of the Lost Dutchman Mine is said to lie deep in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona, along with a notorious curse. The Apache tribe that lived there knew the area was filled with gold, but stayed away due to their legend of a vengeful Thunder God. The area later became a haven for gold seekers. In 1931, treasure hunter Adolf Ruth disappeared while searching for the mine. His skull was found two years later, along with a note in Latin, suggesting he had found the gold before his death. Since then, many others have died, including Jesse Capen, whose body was discovered in 2002, three years after he left on his expedition.

4. The Curse of the Amber Room, Russia/Germany

The Amber Room, once dubbed the "eighth wonder of the world," was a gift to Peter the Great in 1716. It was a room adorned floor to ceiling with mosaics and walls made from 20 different colors of amber. In 1941, the Nazis seized control, dismantled it for safekeeping, and after being displayed in a museum in 1943, the entire room disappeared.

Since then, those connected to the room have reportedly suffered from its curse:

* Museum curators Alfred Rode and his wife died of typhus, and their bodies vanished along with the doctor who signed their death certificate.

* Russian General Gusev, linked to the room, died in a mysterious car crash.

* One prominent hunter, George Stein, was found dead in a forest.

5. The Ark of the Covenant, Biblical

The Ark of the Covenant is a holy relic said to contain the broken tablets of the Ten Commandments. It was believed to have great powers, but when in the wrong hands, it brought terrible curses. Ancient writings laid out rules about handling the Ark: the poles holding it should not be removed, it should be carried on the shoulders, and "whoever touches the ark shall die." People still continue to hunt for any hint of its possible location. But even if you do find it, how are you supposed to touch it without, well, dying?

See? This is why I never mess with anything that might be cursed.

What about you? If you found a treasure and it was cursed, would you take it or leave it behind?