Nothing better than hidden treasure!
IIRC there was a similar legend about the loot Alexander the Great got from Persia.
BTW I like the Byzantine empire so much, I may start calling them the Eastern Roman empire. I don’t like the term “byzantine.” IIRC it’s relatively recent usage.
I especially like the 10h century, when they were pushing back the Moslems on all fronts. My old Encyclopedia Britannica noted that their excellent noncommissioned officer corps was the terror of the army.
I wholeheartedly agree — calling the eastern Roman Empire Byzantine, when the capital wasn’t in Byzantium, makes no sense and never has made any sense. Byzantium ceased to exist, was renamed Constantinople, and the core of the capital was newly built on vacant areas, then the entire new city was walled. It would make as much sense to call it the Lygosian Empire, Semistratian Empire, or Chalcedonian Empire.
caution, language/paralyzing laughter:
Basil the Bulgar-Slayer
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/basil.html