This is one of the most spectacular scenes in the film. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): as the protagonist (Harrison Ford) and his father (Sean Connery) search for the Holy Grail – the chalice carried by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, one of the most sought-after archaeological pieces of history. story – they enter the Siq, a 1.5 kilometer long canyon. At the end, they finally come across, in the ancient city of Petra (Jordan), a monument whose imposing facade is carved out of sandstone, the Khazneh (or “Treasure”), where they find the object of their quest. .
Such discoveries are not just fiction on the Jordanian site, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site since 1985, shortly before the film’s release. A team of archaeologists led by Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, executive director of the American Center of Research (ACOR), recently unearthed a fascinating tomb buried beneath the Khazneh: twelve human skeletons and artifacts dating back 2,000 years, who could tell us more about the ancient inhabitants of the city of Petra, were found there, announces CNN on October 12, 2024.
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New rooms hidden under the “Treasure”
The one that entered the short list of the seven new wonders of the world in 2000, Petra, is still full of mystery. For centuries, experts have, for example, debated the function of its Khazneh. Its nickname “Treasure” comes from the theory according to which the monument initially housed, in its stone urn above the entrance, the “Pharaoh’s treasure”. Today, most archaeologists agree more on a tomb built by Aretas IV, king of the Nabataeans or “king of Petra” between approximately 9 BC. BC to AD 40 AD
However, no skeletal remains had been found inside the building until 2003, when two tombs were identified under the left side of the Khazneh by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan. They contained partial skeletal remains. But, the data having never been published about them, it is difficult to know how many individuals they belonged to, explains Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman to our CNN colleagues.
Their discovery two decades ago also suggested that other secret underground chambers were hidden in the area. A hypothesis that had never been confirmed… until now. This year, 2024, the expert’s team used ground-penetrating radar – a device that uses radio waves to detect underground structures or anomalies without digging – to observe whether the physical characteristics left, where the first burials were found, corresponding to those on the right.
The Khazneh (or “Treasure”) in Petra, Jordan. Getty Images / Nick Brundle Photography
A rare intact (and filled) tomb in Petra
The detections revealed strong similarities between the two sides. It was enough for the specialists to obtain permission from the Jordanian government to dig under the “Treasure”. And for them to contact the American broadcast Expedition Unknown (Discovery Channel), which follows archaeologist and presenter Josh Gates as he investigates mysteries. The film crew was therefore present last August, when the research team finally excavated a new tomb in Petra… the contents of which turned out to be more impressive than expected.
Unlike many tombs in the city, found empty or damaged – presumably by travelers seeking shade and protection in the desert – the burial chamber was filled with complete skeletons and possessions made of bronze, iron and ceramic. The human remains, although not having been moved – which is extremely rare – are in delicate condition. Mold was observed on some. Blame it on the porous sandstone surrounding the tomb, which traps moisture from Petra’s seasonal floods. However, they could represent the largest collection discovered in a single place on the site.
While it is suspected that many textiles and jewelry, typically found in Nabataean burials, were lost due to water infiltration, those excavated are extremely well preserved. Among them were several containers including a ceramic chalice, held by one of the skeletons, which resembles the Holy Grail in shape, according to archaeologists. These collected elements offer a rare insight into the rituals of the Nabataeans, the Arab nomads whose ancient desert kingdom flourished from the 4th century BC. until 106 AD. AD
The Nabataeans, a mysterious ancient people
Little is known about the Nabataeans. The first written sources mention them in 312 BC. BC, when they resisted an attempted invasion by Antigone I Monophthalmus (“the One-Eyed”), former general of Alexander the Great. Then, more than a hundred years passed before they appeared again in the texts. At this time, their society is fully developed and Petra as famous to us is under construction. Besides their beginnings, their funerary practices remain enigmatic. Ancient records suggest a remarkably egalitarian society, supported by the apparent lack of differences between tombs.
Was the newly revealed one thus intended for ordinary people or for royalty? Difficult to say, then. In Expedition UnknownJosh Gates believes that these are individuals of great importance, “because the place where they are buried is of exceptional “real estate” value; it is truly the main entrance to the city”. Regardless, luminance dating – which measures the time since the soils were last exposed to light – supports that they would have been buried in the 1st century BC. BC, before the construction of Khazneh. Data which confirmed the theory of construction by Aretas IV.
Ongoing excavations are expected to uncover hundreds more artifacts, and the skeletons are currently being studied. The skulls have already been examined using microscopes and CT scanners. Dr Pearce Paul Creasman hopes more details will emerge, through their analyses, about the identity of their owners. DNA extraction could help determine whether the twelve are genetically related, for example. The analysis of their bones, what diets they had, or even if they had physical jobs. Josh Gates, for his part, enthuses in the documentary:
This is an extremely rare find – in two centuries of archaeological investigations in Petra, nothing like this has ever been found before. Even in front of one of the most famous buildings in the world… there are still huge discoveries to be made.
