A 2,000-year-old tomb containing at least 12 human skeletons and artifacts has been discovered beneath Petra’s famous Khaznah, or Treasury, a monument carved into the pink sandstone cliffs of Jordan. The structure, famously featured in Harrison Ford’s *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade*, holds more secrets than previously believed.
The excavation, led by Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, executive director of the American Center of Research, was the result of years of speculation. Archaeologists suspected there were more hidden chambers beneath the Treasury after two tombs were discovered in 2003 on its left side. Using ground-penetrating radar earlier this year, Creasman and his team confirmed the presence of similar structures on the right side, prompting approval from the Jordanian government to begin digging.
Creasman immediately reached out to Josh Gates, host of Discovery Channel’s *Expedition Unknown*, saying, "I think we’ve got something." In August, with a film crew present, the team uncovered the ancient tomb, filled with skeletal remains and artifacts including bronze, iron, and ceramic objects.
Unlike many other tombs in Petra, which are often found looted or disturbed, this chamber contained intact human remains. Creasman explained the importance of the find, saying, "The intact burial found beneath the Treasury provides rare insight into the lives of the Nabataeans, ancient Arabian nomads whose desert kingdom thrived from the fourth century BC to AD 106."
Gates called it a "hugely rare discovery," adding, "In the two centuries that Petra has been investigated by archaeologists, nothing like this has been found before. Even in front of one of the most famous buildings in the world … there are still huge discoveries to be made."
Among the artifacts was a skeleton clutching a ceramic chalice resembling the Holy Grail, evoking the monument’s connection to *Indiana Jones*. Gates remarked, “It really was this awesome moment of history imitating art.”
The find, which could be the largest collection of human remains uncovered in Petra, was featured on the season premiere of *Expedition Unknown*. Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year and was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in the 2000s. Although the Treasury’s exact purpose remains debated, this latest discovery provides crucial new clues about the city's ancient past.
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