What if we told you that underneath one of the most iconic monuments in the world there was a secretwould you believe it? Well, it really happened. An international team of researchers, including academics from the University of St Andrews, recently discovered a tomb hidden beneath the famous site of Al-Khazneh, known as the Treasury, in Petra. The discovery was made public in the documentary “Excavation Unknown” on the Discovery Channel, hosted by adventurer Josh Gates.
The professor Richard Batesof the School of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of St Andrewscollaborated on the research together with the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (DoA), the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) and the American Center of Research (ACOR). The research, made possible thanks to scans with ground-penetrating radar and electromagnetic conductivity instruments, brought to light a tomb with twelve skeletons dating back to the time of the Nabataeans, the builders of the city of Petra.
A new light on the history of Petra and the Nabataeans
According to Professor Bates, the importance of the discovery lies in the rarity of such intact finds linked to the Nabataeans, a civilization about which very little is still known. The analysis of the remains, including buried objects and sediments, was entrusted to Dr. Tim Kinnaird, also of the University of St Andrews, who dated the tomb between the end of the 1st century BC and the beginning of the 2nd century AD These elements will contribute to better understanding the historical and cultural context of the period.
The tomb, probably intended for King Aretas IV Philopatrisit may have been built as a mausoleum. A singular detail is represented by a skeleton found holding a ceramic object similar to a chalice, which evoked the myth of the Holy Grail among the researchers present.
Pearce Paul Creasmanexecutive director of ACOR, underlined that the Petra Treasury continues to conceal secrets that could reshape historical knowledge of this extraordinary place. The discovery is therefore looming as a starting point for further explorations which could reveal previously unknown aspects of the Nabataean culture and the origins of Petra.
