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Thursday, 9th October 2008 (2369 views)

The Japanese island of Munakata-Okinoshima, where several ancient gold items have been discovered, has been added to the country's candidate list of United Nations World Heritage sites.

Located in the Sea of Genkai, around 80,000 pieces of treasure from Korea and China were found on the isle in 1954, according to the Mainichi Daily News.

A team of explorers stopped to rest at an old altar during an expedition to the area and one of them noticed something glittering on the ground.

They went on to uncover a gold ring from the Silla kingdom of Korea, thought to be from as far back as 57 BC.

In addition, they excavated a gold bracelet and an ornament adorned with the precious metal, the paper noted.

Now the treasure-laden island is being considered for a potential listing as a World Heritage site.

Locations are given the status by the World Heritage Committee if they are considered to have outstanding universal value.

 

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