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    • Dozens of graves unearthed at Indiana Jones filming site in Jordan
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    Dozens of graves unearthed at Indiana Jones filming site in Jordan

    Bronwen Cerys Posted on

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    A recent discovery at a historic site in Jordan bears an uncanny resemblance to the subject depicted in an “Indiana Jones” movie.

    Deep beneath the surface of the Treasury, a monument carved eons ago into pink sandstone canyons, lies a secret tomb where the remains of at least a dozen Nabataeans have been unearthed, according to a news release.

    In the thousands of years since the Nabataean Kingdom first hand-carved an entire city, including the treasury, at Petra, it has become a tourist attraction and served as a filming location for the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

    Archaeologists and Josh Gates, host of the Discovery Channel show “Expeditions Unknown,” dug to learn more about the elusive Treasury and its purpose, but found a grave full of skeletons just beneath the surface.

    “Completely astonished” were the words Gates used to describe the revelation, saying in the press release that the Treasury’s hidden chamber was “perhaps the most significant tomb ever found in Petra and a discovery of historic proportions.” especially since almost all the graves in Petra were found empty.

    “The breakthrough could not only reveal the secrets of the aforementioned Treasury, but also provide an extraordinary glimpse into the lives of the early Nabataeans who built Petra,” Gates said.

    According to archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman, the excavation also brings us “closer than ever to answers” about when and why the Treasury was built. And the excavations confirm that the site was used as a mausoleum rather than a “treasury,” according to the Visit Petra website.

    Artifact from excavation site has connection to “Indiana Jones”.

    While the skeletal remains made for a discovery of epic proportions, another “amazing coincidence” in the form of an artifact was found in the hidden chamber.

    The artifact, a ceramic vessel, bears an uncanny resemblance to a prop used to bring Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to life. A skeleton was found clutching a chalice known in the films as the “Holy Grail.”

    In the film, the Holy Grail had the ability to “grant immortality.” This real “Holy Grail,” according to the press release, appeared to be a piece from a broken jar that likely dates back to the first century B.C. BC.

    “When we spotted what looked like a chalice, we all froze,” Gates said. “It looked almost identical to the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and was located in the old building directly above the tomb. It was the ultimate moment in life to imitate art.”

    How to watch “Expeditions Unknown”

    The Treasury excavation first aired in a two-part episode, “Expeditions Unknown,” which aired on Wednesday, October 9 and is still available to watch on Discovery+ or through your television provider.

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    Bronwen Cerys
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