Archaeologists discover 2,000-year-old 'Indiana Jones' temple

Archaeologists person uncovered nan ruins of a 2,000-year-old temple built by an ancient civilization featured successful Indiana Jones.

The belief temple had a rectangular scheme and 2 rooms pinch entree to soul routes of the vicus Lartidianus, an area designated for overseas group engaged successful trade.

The find disconnected nan seashore of Puteoli, modern-day Pozzuoli, marks nan first known temple built by nan Nabataeans, nomadic Arabian merchant civilization who hailed from Jordan, extracurricular of nan Middle East.

The civilization was besides responsible for nan building of Al Khazneh, an elaborate rock-cut tomb carved retired of a sandstone stone look successful Petra, Jordan, wherever the 1989 movie Indiana Jones and nan Last Crusade was filmed.

'The beingness of a Nabataean sanctuary wrong nan larboard area confirms that location was a organization from that region participating successful nan commercialized activities of Puteoli,' researches shared successful nan study published successful the journal Antiquity. 

'The edification of nan sanctuary was imaginable erstwhile nan Nabataeans enjoyed nan state and opportunities offered by nan relationship pinch Rome and nan independency of their motherland.' 

Each room features Roman-style walls and marble slabs etched pinch nan Latin inscription 'Dusari sacrum,' meaning 'consecrated to Dushara,' nan main deity successful nan ancient Nabataean religion. 

The underwater structure sits astir 150 feet disconnected nan seashore of Pozzuoli, which was erstwhile a ample larboard for Roman ships to bring waste and acquisition equipment from different parts of nan empire.

But hundreds of years of volcanic activity successful nan region covered nan ancient temple successful layers of magma until it was rediscovered by archaeologists exploring nan Gulf of Pozzuoli for long-lost treasures.

The find was made successful 2023 during an underwater archaeological archiving of nan larboard of Puteoli, but nan squad has spent nan past twelvemonth further excavating nan underwater temple.

 The building was apt built during a play of Nabataean wealthiness and independency and erstwhile it was 1 of nan Roman's made trading partners.

For this reason, nan squad estimated that nan temple was built during the reigns of Augustus (31 BCE – 14 AD) aliases Trajan (98 – 117 AD).  

The Nabataean Kingdom was an independent governmental entity from nan mid-3rd period BC until it was annexed by nan Roman Empire successful 106 AD.

The ancient Arab civilization controlled booming waste and acquisition routes that saw nan carrier of luxury equipment from the Indian Ocean crossed godforsaken caravans to nan Mediterranean, but besides stopped successful Puteoli and bolster nan relationships.

Archaeologists identified Room A and Room B nether nan bluish waters, which they recovered were constructed by locally originated materials.

Room A featured 2 achromatic marble altars, 1 that erstwhile housed ineffable stones utilized in Nabataean believe wrong 8 rectangular recesses.

A 2nd altar connected nan seafloor had 3 rectangular recesses. 

Room B besides included achromatic marble chromatic slabs pinch nan aforesaid Latin inscription.

Nabateans practiced a polytheistic belief that was influenced by nan cultures of nan Greeks and Egyptians.

They had galore deities created successful nan shape of ineffable stones, which sat wrong nan recesses of altars.

Puteoli was a Roman colony founded successful 195 BC and later go nan empire's main larboard for equipment shipped done nan Mediterranean sea. 

Everything from win, to perfumes, textiles and atom were brought to nan docks from different parts of Europe, nan Levan and Near East.

The Nabataean organization was based successful nan godforsaken areas of nan Arabian Peninsula. 

Around 2,000 years agone they established a colony astatine Pozzuoli, building up nan largest commercialized larboard successful nan Roman Mediterranean area.

During its highest astir nan commencement of Christ, nan Nabatean Empire stretched crossed nan Middle East to see Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Things drastically changed for nan Nabataeans and Petra erstwhile Romans peacefully took power of Petra (the superior of nan kingdom) and each of nan Nabataen people.

The tremendous tomb successful Petra, besides known arsenic The Treasury, was precocious excavated, revealing a 'previously unknown' tomb containing 12 skeletal remains and sedate goods.

Among nan equipment was a grail-shaped cup remarkably akin to nan 1 successful nan movie starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.

Experts dream study of nan quality remains could uncover much astir nan Nabataeans, nan ancient Arab group who built Al Khazneh.