Secret tomb discovered in Petra, Jordan below location from 'Indiana Jones' film

A recent discovery made at a historic site in Jordan shares an uncanny resemblance with the theme depicted in one “Indiana Jones” movie.

Deep below the surface of the Treasury, a monument etched onto pink sandstone canyons eons ago, lies a secret tomb, where the remains of at least a dozen Nabateans were unearthed, according to a news release .

In the thousands of years since the Nabataean Kingdom first carved an entire city, including the Treasury by hand in Petra, it has become a tourist attraction and was used as a film location in 1989 film “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

Archaeologists and Josh Gates, host of Discovery Channel show “Expeditions Unknown,” dug to learn more about the elusive Treasury and its purpose, only to find a tomb full of skeletons just below the surface.

“Absolutely stunned” were the words Gates used to describe the revelation, saying in the news release that the Treasury’s hidden chamber was “perhaps the most significant tomb ever found at Petra and a discovery of historic proportions.” Especially, since nearly all of the tombs in Petra have been found empty.

“The breakthrough could not only reveal the secrets of The Treasury above, it could also offer an extraordinary glimpse into the lives of the early Nabataeans who built Petra,” Gates said.

The excavation, according to archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman, also “brings us closer than ever to answers” about when and why the Treasury was built. And the dig confirms that the site was used a mausoleum rather than a "treasury," according to the Visit Petra website.

Artifact from excavation site shares 'Indiana Jones' connection

While the skeletal remains made for a discovery of epic proportions, another “amazing coincidence” in the form of an artifact was found in the hidden chamber.

The artifact, a ceramic vessel, bears an uncanny resemblance to a prop used to make “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” come to life. A skeleton was found clutching a chalice, known in the movies as the Holy Grail.

In the movie, the Holy Grail had the ability to “ grant immortality .” This real life “Holy Grail,” according to the news release, appeared to a piece from a broken jug, likely dating to the first century BC.

“When we spotted what looked like a chalice, all of us just froze,” according to Gates. “It looked nearly identical to the Holy Grail featured in ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,’ set in the ancient building directly above the tomb. It was the ultimate moment of life imitating art.”

How to watch 'Expeditions Unknown'

The excavation of the Treasury initialed air in a two-part “Expeditions Unknown” episode that aired on Wednesday, Oct. 9 and can still be seen on Discovery+ or through your television provider.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Secret tomb discovered in Petra, Jordan below location from 'Indiana Jones' film