Wednesday, October 23, 2024

The Discovery of a Tomb in Petra Was Hailed as ‘Significant.’ Experts Are Unimpressed

 


Petra, the world-famous ancient settlement carved into the sandstone slabs of Jordan’s Ma’an Governorate, is thought to have been constructed by the Nabateans between the 7th and 4th century B.C.E. Its classical architecture, the product of a civilization whose trade networks stretched from the waters of the Mediterranean to the shores of the Red Sea, has been the focus of innumerable excavations since its “discovery” by Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812.

As is the case with other top-destination archaeological sites like Stonehenge or Machi Picchu, virtually all of these excavations have received extensive media attention.

For a recent example of this phenomenon, look no further than earlier this month, when a team of archaeologists from the American Center of Research uncovered a collection of bronze, iron, and ceramic burial goods inside a 2,000-year-old tomb. The find was touted by Joshua Gates, presenter of the Discovery Channel documentary Expedition Unknown where the find was announced, calling it “perhaps the most significant tomb ever found at Petra.” The team even went as far as to compare one of the unearthed ceramic pieces to the Holy Grail in the blockbuster film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, parts of which were filmed in Petra.

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