When did treasure maps become popularized? And why do we think that all pirates buried treasure and possessed treasure maps? As we know, there are few documented cases of actual buried treasure–pirates probably felt safer with their loot close by! The idea of treasure maps comes from popular works of fiction and film. For instance, the cliche “X marks the spot” was made a common theme by Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island that was published in 1883. As well as maps, puzzles depicting the location to buries treasure are also popular. These puzzles originate in Edger Allan Poe’s The Gold-Bug, published in 1843.
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