Scientists found the skeletal remains of 12 individuals, one of whom was carrying a cup resembling the “Holy Grail” (the cup used by Jesus Christ during the Last Supper).
As a result of the humidity and seasonal flooding in Petra, as well as the porous sandstone surrounding the tomb, some skeletons were found covered in mold.
It is believed that this is the largest group of humans in one place in Petra and that there is more to be discovered under the monument.
Due to their privileged location under the building carved into the rock, scholars believe that these were “very important people” in their time.
The team discovered this “treasure” under the “Treasure”, the most famous and important landmark of the city of Petra, which is the archaeological structure engraved in the rocks, dating back to the Nabataean civilization in Jordan. It is located in the archaeological reserve in the city of Petra in the south of the country.
Scientists began excavations in the 2,000-year-old tomb after it was found through underground acoustic research.
Ground-penetrating radar, a scanning technique that emits pulses of electromagnetic waves, has suggested the presence of underground chambers to the right as well as the left of the “vault.”
As a result, the Jordanian government granted the American Center for Archaeological Research permission to excavate beneath the Treasury in an attempt to prove that these additional underground chambers actually existed.
In the cemetery, scientists found pieces of bronze, iron, and other pieces of pottery. Hundreds more objects are expected to be recovered as excavations continue, according to lead archaeologist Dr. Pierce Paul Cressman, executive director of the American Center for Research.
Cressman said his team dated the tomb to the first century B.C. using optical dating, which traces the last exposure of minerals to sunlight.
Many other tombs have been discovered throughout Petra, with a previous expedition in 2003 finding two tombs down the left side of the Al Khazneh, containing partial skeletal remains.
Josh Gates, host of Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown, who was part of the excavations, said: “This is an extremely rare find. In the two centuries that Petra has been investigated by archaeologists, nothing like this has been found before. “Even in front of one of the most famous buildings in the world there are still huge discoveries to be made.”
Chrisman noted that the new discovery could help uncover clues about ancient Arab society.
It is worth noting that Petra was founded approximately in 312 BC as the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom, and was inhabited by about 20,000 people at its peak. “The Treasury” was built around 100 BC. The historic landmark was given this name because of an early theory that it contained the treasure of an Egyptian pharaoh.
There are several theories about the purpose of constructing this building, but most scholars today believe that it was a tomb built by the Nabataean king Aretas IV, who ruled from about 9 BC to 40 AD.
Source: The Sun
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