Archaeologists discover 12 skeletons at ancient landmark used in ‘Indiana Jones’ film

(Gray News) - Archaeologists made a historical discovery at an iconic landmark in Jordan once featured in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

The group of archaeologists discovered 12 skeletons in an underground chamber just in front of the world-renowned Treasury in the ancient city of Petra, a press release from the Discovery Channel reported.

The Treasury, as well as the rest of the ancient city, was carved into the walls of a desert canyon by the Nabataean people nearly 2,000 years ago. According to an NPR report , Petra is believed to have been the capital of the Nabataean people and is now considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Treasury itself is considered one of the new Seven Wonders of the World and is Jordan's biggest tourist attraction, with millions of people visiting the site each year.

It was also the location of the Holy Grail in Steven Spielberg's 1989 classic, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."

Although there is speculation that the Treasury was a mausoleum, its true purpose remains a mystery.

A joint Jordanian-American project led by Professor Paul Creasman, the executive director of the American Center of Research, received special permission to scan and dig at the Treasury. Fadi Bala'awi, the director general of Jordan's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and Fares Braizat, the chief commissioner of the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, co-directed the project, according to the NPR report.

Along with Josh Gates, the host of Discovery Channel's "Expedition Unknown," and his film crew, the team set off to discover more about the Treasury and its purpose within the Nabataean kingdom.

"There is so much that we have yet to learn about The Treasury. When was this remarkable structure built, and why?" Creasman said in a press release from the Discovery Channel. "Little did we know that this dig might completely change what we know about The Treasury and help solve the mysteries of the Nabataean people.

With the support of the Jordanian government, this excavation is bringing us closer than ever to answers."

With the help of Richard Bates, a professor of geophysics at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, the team first used ground-penetrating radar to scan an area in front of the Treasury. From the scan, they discovered what they believed to be a chamber underground and began digging.

As the crew completed their excavation, the team discovered a tomb with the remains of at least a dozen Nabataean people.

The archaeologists' discovery was made public during the two-episode premiere of the Discovery Channel's show "Expedition Unknown."

According to the NPR report, separate tombs were found at the Treasury in 2004, however, the latest tomb is the first to be discovered with human remains still inside.

Most Nabataean tombs previously found have been empty, therefore the discovery of the skeletons provides archaeologists a rare opportunity to learn about the Nabataean people, such as their practices regarding death.

Bates said in an interview with NPR, that the remains will also help them learn more about the lifestyle of the Nabataean people.

"By analyzing the skeleton material, the teeth, the bones, we can tell things about their lifestyle," he said to NPR. "So, it's going to unlock a view of Nabataean life that we've just never had access to before."

While the Treasury may not actually contain the Holy Grail, there was a "life imitates art" moment when one of the skeletons was found clutching a vessel that at first glance could be mistaken for the famous chalice.

"When we spotted what looked like a chalice, all of us just froze," Gates said in a press release from the Discovery Channel. "It looked nearly identical to the Holy Grail featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, set in the ancient building directly above the tomb."

The press release reported that after an examination, the vessel was revealed to be the top part of a broken jug.