Carved into the pink sandstone cliffs of Jordan, in the heart of the ancient city of Petra is a unique monument known as the Khazna or "Pharaoh's Treasury". And under the same building, archaeologists recently discovered a grave containing 12 human skeletons and artifacts dating back at least 2,000 years, CNN reports. Archaeologists led by Dr. Pierce Paul Chrisman, executive director of the American Research Center, excavated the ancient tomb. The expedition was exploring the hoard after years of speculation that the two tombs discovered to the left of the monument in 2003 were not the only underground tombs.
Krizman and his team of scientists used radar, a remote sensing technique that uses radar pulses to detect underground objects, to see if the one on the left, where the first tombs were found, matched the characteristics of the one on the right. The findings revealed strong similarities between the two sides, and it was the proof they needed to get permission from the Jordanian government to excavate beneath the Treasury.
In August, a group of archaeologists began excavating the newly discovered tomb. But the real surprise was what was found inside the tomb. While many tombs found at Petra were empty, this one was filled with skeletal remains and burial goods made of bronze, iron, and pottery.
According to Chrisman, the intact tomb found beneath the treasury provides a rare glimpse into the lives of the Nabataeans, the ancient Arab nomads whose desert kingdom of Nabataeans (or Nabataea) flourished in the 1st century BC. from the fourth century to AD The year 106.
According to scientists, this important find is probably the largest collection of human remains found in one place in Petra.
In the 2000s, with its unique architecture and many mysteries surrounding the city to this day, Petra was recognized as one of the new seven wonders of the world.
The Treasury, which receives hundreds of thousands of tourists annually, has been featured in several films, the most famous of which is the 1989 film "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".
