Archaeologists Find Skeletons, Ancient Relics at ‘Indiana Jones’ Filming Site

Archaeologists working in the city of Petra, Jordan, uncovered a tomb containing at least 12 skeletons and a trove of artifacts which experts hail as “a hugely rare discovery,” CNN reported.

The tomb was located in the underground chambers of the famous Khaznah (or Treasure) monument, which scientists long theorized may contain precious historical relics. The site featured prominently in 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in which it played, rather appropriately, the location of the Holy Grail.

Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, the executive director of the American Center of Research, and his team of archaeologists discovered the first underground chamber in 2003 and deduced that there must be more than just one. To confirm their suspicions, the archaeologists used ground-penetrating radar, which uses pulses to detect objects underground. They saw that the physical features of the first tomb matched those on the other side of the structure.

In August, they excavated the monument, captured for an episode of Discovery’s Expedition Unknown. While many tombs in Petra are found empty, this one boasted at least one dozen sets of human remains and funerary items made from iron, ceramic, and bronze. Experts believe this to be the largest collection of human remains ever exhumed at a single location in the city. Some were better preserved than others, likely due to seasonal flooding and the sandstone in which they were encased, while one cadaver was found clutching a chalice that resembled the Holy Grail vessel Jesus drank from at the Last Supper.

Creasman says the discovery offers previously unknown insight into the ancient Arabian nomadic tribe known as Nabataeans, whose kingdom reigned from the 4th century B.C. to A.D. 106. “We were hopeful to find anything that might tell us more about the ancient people and place—human remains can be a really valuable tool in that regard,” he explained. “The burials in this tomb are articulated, so the bones haven’t been rummaged around and moved, so that’s exceedingly rare.”

“This is a hugely rare discovery—in the two centuries that Petra has been investigated by archaeologists, nothing like this has been found before,” Josh Gates, the host of Expedition Unknown, explained. “Even in front of one of the most famous buildings in the world…there are still huge discoveries to be made.”

Expedition Unknown is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. You can check out a preview of the Khaznah excavation episode below.