A recent excavation near Petra’s Treasury building, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has uncovered 12 human skeletons along with a chamber filled with grave offerings.
By the time Dr. Richard Bates scanned the sandstone of Petra’s ancient Treasury building with his radar device, it had been over two decades since anyone had conducted such an in-depth exploration of the stone city’s grounds.
For almost as long, archaeologists had been frustrated by a persistent mystery. In 2003, they discovered hidden tombs around the iconic Treasury structure, carved into Petra’s canyon walls in the first century B.C. However, due to bureaucratic obstacles and funding shortages, they had been unable to investigate the other side fully.
That changed earlier this year when Dr. Bates and his research team received permission to use powerful ground-penetrating radar on the delicate Treasury monument, known locally as Al Khazneh.
“We were quite shocked that they granted us permission to conduct the survey,” said Dr. Bates, a geophysicist and professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. “The data we collected was stunning.”
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Now, archaeologists have confirmed their long-held suspicions: an excavation has uncovered an untouched tomb within Petra’s iconic Treasury structure, revealing 12 human skeletons along with a diverse array of grave offerings, located directly across from the initial discovery made in 2003.
Archaeologists had long been frustrated by a mystery surrounding Petra’s Treasury structure, having discovered hidden tombs nearby in 2003 but unable to investigate further due to bureaucratic and funding issues. Earlier this year, Dr. Richard Bates and his research team were granted permission to use ground-penetrating radar on the delicate monument, known as Al Khazneh. Dr. Bates expressed surprise at receiving the permission and noted that the data collected was remarkable. In Jordan, a ‘Stunning’ Discovery Under Petra’s Ancient Stone
Referred from: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/world/petra-tomb-discovered-jordan.html
