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The legendary literary story of Robinson Crusoe, cast away on a desert island, has captivated readers for centuries. Now archaeologists have unearthed fresh evidence about the real-life Crusoe - Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk - who was marooned in 1704 on a small tropical island in the Pacific Ocean for more than four years. During a dig on the island of Aguas Buenas , a nautical instrument was discovered, along with proof of a campsite dwelling, thought to be used by Selkirk. The research, presented in the journal Post-Medieval Archaeology, supports contemporary record of the Scotman's existence on the island, since...

The archipelago is named after Robinson Crusoe, but perhaps it should have been called Treasure Island. A long quest for booty from the Spanish colonial era appears to be culminating in Chile with the announcement by a group of adventurers that they have found an estimated 600 barrels of gold coins and Incan jewels on the remote Pacific island. "The biggest treasure in history has been located," said Fernando Uribe-Etxeverria, a lawyer for Wagner, the Chilean company leading the search. Mr Uribe-Etxeverria estimated the value of the buried treasure at US$10bn (£5.6bn). The announcement set off ownership claims. The treasure...

True-life 'Robinson Crusoe' lived atop a hill on isle off Chile 09/17/2005 The Asahi Shimbun A team led by explorer Daisuke Takahashi says it has found where the true-life 18th century model for "Robinson Crusoe" spent more than four years in the Pacific Ocean waiting to be rescued. Traces of a structure that Scottish navigator Alexander Selkirk (1676-1721) likely built after he was marooned in 1704 were found atop a hill on what is now called Robinson Crusoe Island, off the coast of Chile, Takahashi said in Tokyo on Thursday. "I have finally reached him," Takahashi said. "In times when...