Scientists SOLVE the mystery of the 'Holy Grail' cup discovered in a secret tomb in the ancient city of Petra - but they still have no idea about the identities of the 12 people buried there

In nan 1989 movie 'Indiana Jones and nan Last Crusade', nan Holy Grail is recovered hidden heavy wrong nan Arabian Temple of nan Sun.

In an almost uncanny coincidence, archaeologists uncovered a 'holy grail' cup and 12 bodies wrong nan movie's real-life filming location successful Jordan.

Researchers made nan shocking find this summertime while excavating nan 2,000-year-old Al Khazneh, aliases Treasury, successful nan ancient metropolis of Petra.

But an master now says that, contempt its striking similarity to nan prop from nan film, this is not a lawsuit of 'art imitating life'.

Writing in The Conversation, archaeologist Claire Isabella Gilmour, of nan University of Bristol, unravels nan enigma of nan singular real-life object.

Rather than a hallowed chalice that gives nan drinker eternal life for illustration nan 1 successful nan film, it was simply a modular drinking cup utilized by nan Nabataeans, nan ancient Arab group who built Al Khazneh, she says. 

However, archaeologists are still clueless astir nan identities of nan 12 group buried alongside it.

'One of nan astir headline-grabbing discoveries has been dubbed a “holy grail” successful galore reports, suggesting that nan alloy is akin to nan fictional cup from Indiana Jones and nan Last Crusade, besides discovered astatine nan Khazneh,' Ms Gilmour says. 

'In fact, it’s a humble jug, not a cup offering nan drinker eternal life.' 

According to Ms Gilmour, Lucasfilm Ltd – nan accumulation institution down nan Indiana Jones films – studied Nabataean pottery to create nan movie prop. 

Ms Gilmour says: 'The similarities betwixt nan vessels aren’t a lawsuit of creation imitating life, but nan consequence of painstaking investigation into Nabataean pottery carried retired by Deborah Fine, who was nan head of archives astatine Lucasfilm Ltd.'

She adds that nan real-life 'grail' recovered earlier this twelvemonth was really a reasonably modular illustration of Nabatean pottery. 

'Nabataean pottery is very good – often only 1.5mm heavy – champion suited to ceremonial purposes aliases section usage than nan thicker, much robust modern Roman wares which could recreation better,' Ms Gilmour says. 

The world adds that these kinds of pots, while not precisely a groundbreaking find, bespeak 'Petra’s position arsenic an important trading point, and nan Nabataeans’ accomplishment successful creation and invention'.

Archaeologists judge nan ancient metropolis of Petra was inhabited from astir 7000 BC until astir AD 700. 

Home to nan Nabatean civilisation, an ancient nomadic Arab group, Petra was located connected a cardinal waste and acquisition way connecting Egypt, nan Mediterranean, and nan Arabian Peninsula.

This strategical location allowed Petra to flourish passim nan first period AD into an precocious and cosmopolitan city.

Carved straight into nan pinkish sandstone of nan valley, Al Khazneh is 1 of nan city's astir recognisable structures and was built astir AD 40 by nan Nabatean king Aretas IV Philopatris, astir apt arsenic a tomb.

During nan filming 'Indiana Jones and nan Last Crusade' nan building's imposing destruction was utilized to correspond nan exterior of nan Temple of nan Sun, while nan interior shots were filmed astatine Elstree Studios successful England.

Back successful 2003, expeditions discovered 2 antecedently chartless tombs beneath nan near broadside of Al Khazneh, containing partial skeletal remains.

Further studies pinch ground-penetrating radar – a surveying method that emits pulses of electromagnetic waves – suggested that location could beryllium moreover much tombs hidden beneath nan floors.

When scientists yet finally dug further into nan temple in August this year, they were shocked to observe a hidden tomb carved straight into nan rock.

Inside were nan bodies of 12 chartless individuals alongside sedate equipment made of pottery, bronze, robust and ceramics.

Filmed arsenic portion of nan Discovery Channel's show 'Expedition Unknown' what really caught nan researcher's eye, however, was a elemental ceramic vessel.

This grail-shaped cup looked remarkably akin to nan 1 utilized successful nan movie starring Sean Connery and Harrison Ford which had been filmed astatine that very site.

The documentary's big Josh Gates said: 'This is possibly nan astir important tomb ever recovered astatine Petra and a find of historical proportions.'

Mr Gates added that nan cup 'looked astir identical to nan beatified grail featured successful Indiana Jones and nan Last Crusade.'

Other academics, meanwhile, person been importantly much captious astir Expedition Unknown's sum of nan Petra tomb.

On X, Professor Megan Perry, an master connected Nabatean burials from East Carolina University, wrote: 'I’ve excavated galore tombs successful Petra and conjecture what? THEY F’ING CONTAIN BURIALS! No 1 is amazed isolated from group who haven’t done their research!'

However, moreover if this hidden tomb mightiness not person held nan beatified grail, it still contains an archaeological mystery.

Since nan Nabateans didn't constitute down overmuch astir their ain culture, location is simply a batch archaeologists don't cognize astir really these group lived and died successful Petra.

Ms Gilmour says: 'We do not cognize thing yet astir nan identities of those buried, though their interment successful abstracted sarcophagi and their placement astatine nan Khazneh propose precocious status.'

Importantly, nan bodies recovered astatine Al Khazneh are articulated – meaning that nary 1 has rummaged done nan bones since they were buried.

In a tract that has been taxable to hundreds of years of archaeological digs, vandalism and looting, this is rather a uncommon find.

It makes nan identities of those buried successful nan Al Khazneh tomb an intriguing puzzle and a imaginable root of captious information.

Ms Gilmour adds: 'The activity connected analysing and interpreting these caller finds is only beginning.

'One of nan enduring mysteries is nan existent intent of nan Khazneh.

'These burials could thief reply that question, while revising our knowing of this cosmopolitan ancient city.'