A team of archaeologists have discovered a secret, intact 2,000-year-old tomb beneath the famous structure of the Treasure of Petrain Jordan, one of the seven wonders of the world. The burial site hid a dozen skeletons, as well as ceramic remains. One of the individuals, according to researchers from the University of St Andrews (Scotland), was holding a container resembling a chalice. The sediments and materials gave a dating of between the middle of the 1st century BC and the beginning of the 2nd century AD What remains a mystery is the identity of the people buried in this tomb.
The grave was documented thanks to a powerful ground penetrating radar used in the delicate Treasury monument, known locally as Al Khazneh – “Pharaoh’s Treasure” – and located in the Petra Canyon. In 2003, the same team of researchers had already discovered several hidden burial sites, but it took more than two decades to obtain permission from the authorities to continue exploring the site.
The function of the iconic Treasury of Petra – the city was built as the capital of the Nabatean people around the 4th century BC – remains a mystery, although the most plausible hypotheses indicate that it could have been the mausoleum of King Aretas IV Philopatris. The new discovery, which researchers say predates the famous building, could shed light on this question and on the nomadic and Arab kingdom conquered by the Roman Empire around the beginning of the 2nd century AD
One of the skeletons from the Nabataean period.
Unknown Discovery Expedition
“The main objective of the survey was to assess the condition of the areas surrounding the Treasury, its courtyard, the square, the outlet of the Siq and the wadi into which they all flow before future works to better control the floodwaters,” explained Richard Batesprofessor at the University of St Andrews (Scotland). However, the data collected revealed the possible presence of underground chambers unknown, so they requested permission to carry out archaeological excavations.
In addition to the 12 intact skeletons, a network of walls dividing the hall was documented, an architectural feature that had not been seen anywhere else in the ancient city. “The discovery has international importance since so far they have been recovered in Petra very few complete burials of the early Nabataeans,” Bates said in a statement. “It is hoped that the tombs, their grave goods and their human remains will help fill gaps in our knowledge about how Petra emerged and who they were. [los nabateos]”.
Tim Kinnaird, another researcher on the team, celebrated the findings because they will date with better precision the time of the construction of the Treasury. “Until now, we have worked with hypotheses and conjectures: having a definitive date will be a monumental achievement for everyone,” he assured. Archaeologists also pointed out that other spaces in the building remain to be explored and could contain relevant information.
Interestingly, the discovery, which was revealed in a Discovery Channel documentary titled Expedition into the unknownwas recorded in the famous setting of an adventure film: the Treasury of Petra is the location of the film’s fictional Holy Grail. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Steven Spielberg, 1989).
“It was an incredible privilege to be able to conduct a study in such an iconic location and verify the geophysical data with an excavation so early on; it’s a unique opportunity,” Bates concluded. “The scale of the discovery is very unexpected, but it will likely shed light not only on the Treasury building, but also on Nabataean society as a whole.”
