It was like discovering an alien on the set of “Independence Day.”
Archaeologists have revealed the provenance of the iconic “holy grail” cup discovered alongside 12 human skeletons at the exact location in Jordan where “Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade” was filmed.
Not actually the vessel for an immortality elixir, the chalice is actually a standard drinking cup used by the ancient Nabateans, an advanced people who inhabited the ancient Jordanian city of Petra thousands of years ago.
“It’s a humble jug, not a cup offering the drinker eternal life,” wrote UK archaeologist Claire Isabella Gilmour in The Conversation, dismissing comparisons to the iconic biblical relic.
The ceramic artifact was exhumed in August along with the aforementioned deceased dozen and other artifacts at the 2,000-year-old tomb beneath Khazneh, the famed, ancient treasury in Petra, Jordan.
The groundbreaking discoveries were made by Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, executive director of the American Center of Research (ACOR), in collaboration with Josh Gates from the Discovery Channel’s “Expedition Unknown,” according to Ancient Origins.
When the so-called “grail” was found, it was held by one of the 12 skeletons — evoking the chalice that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper.
However, perhaps to the chagrin of bible buffs, the beverage container was actually just a textbook example of Nabataean pottery, the experts revealed.
This ancient dinnerware tends to be very fine — often only 1.5mm thick — suggesting that the dinnerware was best suited to ceremonial and local purposes, as it couldn’t travel well like its hardier Roman counterparts.
“Nabatean pottery is also often painted with images such as flowers, figures and geometric motifs,” the archaeologist wrote. “These styles reflect Petra’s status as an important trading point, and the Nabatean’s skill in creation and invention.”
Perhaps more intriguing was the fact that the chalice was discovered in the iconic filming location for Steven Spielberg’s 1989 adventure flick — the alleged “grail” even bears a striking resemblance to the Spartan-looking prop used in the film.
Despite the resemblance, the grail-blazing find is “not a case of art imitating life,” Gilmour wrote.
She added that the similarities were not coincidental but rather “the result of painstaking research into Nabatean pottery carried out by Deborah Fine, who was the director of archives at Lucasfilm Ltd.”
The identities of the 12 occupants of the tomb, meanwhile, remain a “Indiana Jones”-worthy mystery.
However, the fact that they were buried in separate sarcophagi coupled with their presence at the Khazneh seems to suggest they were nobles.
“This may be the largest discovery of human remains within a single site in Petra,” Gates told CNN. “The presence of at least 12 skeletons suggests that the tomb could have served as a burial place for prominent individuals, potentially members of the Nabatean elite.”
He added “They must be hugely important people, because where they’re buried is such prime real estate; it really is the main entrance to the city. I think learning who they are is really going to help unlock part of the story of the Treasury.”
Archaeologists also hope that the pottery, sediments, and skeletal material will help them pinpoint construction dates for the repository.
Petra was erected during the height of Nabatean civilization, from the fourth century BCE to the first century CE, the Times Of Israel reported. At its zenith, the trading and commerce mecca was home to a staggering 20,000 people, making it an anomaly in the otherwise desolate Arabian desert.
Today, the ancient metropolis is a Unesco World Heritage Site that’s visited by millions of people every year.
While Petra has been perused for two centuries, this latest find proves that there “are still huge discoveries to be made,” per Gates.
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