“Everyone froze when we saw what looked like a bowl,” recalls American TV presenter Josh Gates, who participated in the excavation for a documentary on the Discovery Channel. The chalice looks almost identical to the Holy Grail from the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” which was filmed in an old building just above this tomb, the authors said in a text report.

What was found in the grave

Although this ancient vessel was not capable of providing eternal youth or eternal wealth, researchers were still quite excited about the contents of the catacombs.

We had no idea that these excavations could completely change what we know about the Treasury.
– says archaeologist Pierce Paul Chrisman from the American Research Center in Jordan.

The authors of the program that found the tomb pose against the background of the city of Petra / Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery

As you know, Almost all of the tombs in Petra were found emptyso it gives a special meaning to this new room. It is called the most important discovery made here. It has historical importance.

The ancient city of Petra was half-built, half-carved into the sandstone cliffs of a desert canyon in southern Jordan 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans, a traditionally nomadic Arab Bedouin tribe.

The city became the capital, which they called Rakma. Although it is now one of the new seven wonders of the world, many mysteries remain surrounding what was once the center of trade between the Mediterranean, Arabia and Asia.

By 700 AD, Petra was abandoned for unknown reasons and the treasury building was cleared of artifacts. As a result, no one knows for sure how old the Treasury building is and what it was used for. It is called the treasury because the sculptural vase at the top of the facade was believed to store wealth. But this ship could also be a monument to the royal family.

It is wonderful that we have ceramics, ecofacts and sediments that will allow us to date the treasury building.
says environmental scientist Tim Kinnaird of the University of St Andrews.

The discovery of the underground chamber was made by chance after researchers used ground-penetrating radar to assess flood risks.

Entrance to the tomb / Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery

Researchers examining the background of the city of Petra / Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery

Archaeologists say the tomb was most likely built as a mausoleum and tomb for King Aretas IV Philopatris in the early 1st century AD. King Philopatris was the ruler of the Nabataeans from 9 BC to 40 AD. During his reign, the community of goat and sheep herders grew into a kingdom of wealthy merchants, which allowed the construction of many buildings in Petra.

This inevitably attracted the attention of the Romans. Around 100 AD, a powerful neighboring empire annexed Petra and renamed it Arabia Petra. The Romans ruled the city for the next 300 years, after which the area was abandoned.

Burial / Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery

Burial / Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery

Cup found in the cemetery / Photo: Warner Bros. Discovery

It is unknown what happened to the Nabataeans after this event. It is likely that these people gradually melted into Roman society. Most of what we know about them comes from Roman written records.

St Andrews geophysicist Richard Bates explains that complete burials of the early Nabataeans are very few, so this discovery will provide a lot of valuable information about their traditions. The tombs, their belongings, and human remains are expected to help fill in the gaps in our knowledge of how Petra came to be and who the Nabataeans were.