What was found at the Petra, Jordan site featured in Indiana Jones? 'Rare discovery' findings explained

In an extremely rare discovery, archeologists found a tomb underneath an Indiana Jones filming location in Petra, Jordan. According to an Expedition Unknown two-part episode that aired on Wednesday, October 9, a team of archeologists unsealed a long-buried tomb underneath the historic Treasury building in Petra, Jordan. The excavation revealed the remains of 12 ancient skeletons.

According to adventurer Josh Gates, the discovery was extremely significant as prior to the discovery, nearly all of the tombs at Petra were found to be empty. The discovery has the potential to bring insight into the lives of the desert city's early Nabataeans.

The Treasury is the very same fictional resting place of the Holy Grail in the iconic 1989 Harrison Ford starrer Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman was quoted in a CNN report published on October 12:

"This is a hugely rare discovery — in the two centuries that Petra has been investigated by archaeologists, nothing like this has been found before,"

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12 Skeletons were discovered under Petra's Treasury building

According to an October 7 news release from Warner Bros. Discovery, Petra, Jordan's iconic Khaznah or Treasury building resides magnificently at the center of the desert canyon city built by the Nabataean Kingdom, around 2000 years ago.

Petra itself became one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 via public voting, after a Swiss foundation launched a campaign to determine the new wonders in 2001.

As part of the season premiere of Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown, archeologists unearthed 12 ancient skeletons and other artifacts, around 2000 years old from underneath the treasury. The unearthing of the ancient tomb was done by a team led by Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, executive director of the American Center of Research.

Previously in 2003, two other tombs were found underneath the left side of the building causing speculation that they weren't the only ones, leading to Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman's expedition's study of the Treasury. Earlier this year, a ground-penetrating radar was performed to see if features under the right side of the building mirrored those under the left.

Once strong similarities were found, the team was given permission to dig by the Jordanian government, and another tomb was discovered in August of this year. However, unlike previous tombs, the remains here were intact, undisturbed, and also paired with artifacts made of bronze, iron, and ceramic.

Josh Gates, the host of Expedition Unknown, was quoted in the Warner Bros. Discovery press release stating that the team was "absolutely stunned" by the revelation of the hidden chamber. He explained:

"Since nearly all of the tombs at Petra have been found empty, this is perhaps the most significant tomb ever found at Petra and a discovery of historic proportions. The breakthrough could not only reveal the secrets of The Treasury above, it could also offer an extraordinary glimpse into the lives of the early Nabataeans who built Petra."

Archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman added in the press release that the discovery might "completely change" what people knew about The Treasury and help solve the mysteries surrounding the Nabataean people. As per Creasman, Nabataeans were ancient Arabian nomads who thrived in Jordan's desert city from the fourth century BC to AD 106.

Although the artifacts found at the tomb were very well-preserved, the human remains were in a little more delicate shape, with some skeletons even containing mold. This could be the result of humidity, seasonal floods, or the porous sandstone that surrounded the tomb.

In a spectacular coincidence, among the slew of vessels found at the site, one of the skeletons was clutching a ceramic chalice that eerily resembled the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Pearce Paul Creasman explained that the team "just froze" when it was discovered. He said in the press release:

"It looked nearly identical to the Holy Grail featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, set in the ancient building directly above the tomb. It was the ultimate moment of life imitating art."

As per a CNN report published on October 12, Pearce Paul Creasman explained that researchers would like to date the skeletons along with the artifacts and use DNA to find possible co-relations between the skeletons.