1 00:00:01,700 --> 00:00:03,500 The Nabateans are a mystery to me. 2 00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:04,900 There's a lot we don't know about them. 3 00:00:04,900 --> 00:00:07,800 There's much more we don't know than we do. 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:10,700 [Josh] Enter Petra. 5 00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:12,667 Everything you see here is carved. 6 00:00:12,667 --> 00:00:14,767 Like, the scale of this place is unbelievable. 7 00:00:14,767 --> 00:00:18,567 And this here is the most famous building of all. 8 00:00:18,567 --> 00:00:19,667 [Pearce] We call it the Treasury. 9 00:00:19,667 --> 00:00:21,900 It's one of the new New Seven Wonders of the World. 10 00:00:21,900 --> 00:00:25,000 This is the most mysterious monument we have here. 11 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,066 We don't know the who, the what, the when. 12 00:00:27,066 --> 00:00:28,233 We have none of that for this. 13 00:00:28,233 --> 00:00:31,166 [Josh] Right. So this place will always be remembered 14 00:00:31,166 --> 00:00:33,400 as the fictional resting place of the Holy Grail 15 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:35,467 in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 16 00:00:35,467 --> 00:00:39,367 But in reality, its true purpose is unknown. 17 00:00:39,367 --> 00:00:41,000 So how do we unravel the mystery 18 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:42,667 of one of the most famous buildings in the world? 19 00:00:42,667 --> 00:00:43,667 If we're gonna understand this place, 20 00:00:43,667 --> 00:00:45,700 we've got to get a glimpse of what's under us. 21 00:00:45,700 --> 00:00:48,000 And to do that, we need technology. 22 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:49,000 [Josh] Got it. 23 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,100 What do you make of that? 24 00:00:50,100 --> 00:00:51,567 [Josh] There is something there. 25 00:00:51,567 --> 00:00:53,567 Some sort of chamber we've never seen before. 26 00:00:53,567 --> 00:00:55,100 [man] "X" marks the spot. 27 00:00:55,100 --> 00:00:56,467 Unbelievable. 28 00:00:56,467 --> 00:00:59,266 Let's see what's down there. 29 00:00:59,266 --> 00:01:02,400 Here at Petra, archeologist Pearce Paul Creasman 30 00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:04,467 has been given exclusive permission 31 00:01:04,467 --> 00:01:07,166 to dig beneath the Treasury for answers. 32 00:01:07,166 --> 00:01:07,667 Here we go. 33 00:01:07,667 --> 00:01:09,400 And so dig we did. 34 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,100 A team of workers moved tons of earth 35 00:01:12,100 --> 00:01:15,600 to descend 12 feet beneath the courtyard of the Treasury. 36 00:01:18,166 --> 00:01:21,266 And it turns out there's something down there. 37 00:01:21,266 --> 00:01:22,767 [man] Josh, Pearce, get over here. 38 00:01:22,767 --> 00:01:24,166 We found something. 39 00:01:24,166 --> 00:01:26,066 Let's see what we got. Come on. 40 00:01:26,066 --> 00:01:28,567 -[Josh] We got a lot more people here. -[Pearce] Yeah. 41 00:01:28,567 --> 00:01:29,800 Oh, this looks very official. 42 00:01:31,367 --> 00:01:33,500 [Josh] We're joined by the Director General 43 00:01:33,500 --> 00:01:37,066 of the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, Dr. Fadi Balawi. 44 00:01:37,066 --> 00:01:38,300 Your Excellency, nice to meet you, sir. 45 00:01:38,300 --> 00:01:40,066 -Lovely seeing you. -Yes. 46 00:01:40,066 --> 00:01:44,200 Along with the Chief Commissioner of Petra, Dr. Fares Braizat. 47 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,100 And beneath us, a discovery. 48 00:01:47,100 --> 00:01:48,100 So, what'd you find? 49 00:01:48,100 --> 00:01:50,567 We think we have an entrance to something here. 50 00:01:50,567 --> 00:01:52,266 -There's an opening there? -[man] There's an opening. 51 00:01:52,266 --> 00:01:54,367 -[Josh] Where? -I can put my hand on this side. 52 00:01:54,367 --> 00:01:55,667 Look at that. That's a doorway. 53 00:01:55,667 --> 00:01:57,300 And it goes all the way to here as well. 54 00:01:57,300 --> 00:01:59,367 And it's just got these big blocks in front of it? 55 00:01:59,367 --> 00:02:01,200 Yeah, it's been sealed up. 56 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:02,767 Is that a tomb? What is that? 57 00:02:02,767 --> 00:02:04,467 I mean, why do we have to wonder? 58 00:02:04,467 --> 00:02:05,900 We should go down and see. 59 00:02:05,900 --> 00:02:07,400 -Let's find out. -[man] Come on down. 60 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:08,767 I knew I liked this guy. 61 00:02:08,767 --> 00:02:10,233 We're coming down. 62 00:02:18,467 --> 00:02:20,667 Oh, my word. Can you see in there? 63 00:02:20,667 --> 00:02:22,100 Wow. 64 00:02:23,467 --> 00:02:24,767 I can't wait. 65 00:02:24,767 --> 00:02:25,767 What is in there? 66 00:02:25,767 --> 00:02:28,266 It is something really huge. 67 00:02:28,266 --> 00:02:29,867 Is it empty? Is it-- Can you see anything? 68 00:02:29,867 --> 00:02:32,266 -[Fadi] Ooh. -Is it a room? Does it go back? 69 00:02:32,266 --> 00:02:33,734 It's a new tomb, I think. 70 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,100 [Josh] It is a tomb! 71 00:02:36,100 --> 00:02:38,000 Oh, my God. 72 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,367 Also, there's another layer inside. 73 00:02:40,367 --> 00:02:41,266 [Josh] This is insane. 74 00:02:41,266 --> 00:02:43,300 [Pearce] So what are we waiting for, guys? 75 00:02:43,300 --> 00:02:46,066 I think we should not wait anymore. 76 00:02:46,066 --> 00:02:47,100 We should go in. 77 00:02:47,100 --> 00:02:48,166 -You want to open it? -[Pearce] We gotta go in. 78 00:02:48,166 --> 00:02:49,066 Definitely. 79 00:02:49,066 --> 00:02:50,634 -Definitely. -Yes. 80 00:02:52,467 --> 00:02:53,800 -[Fadi] Oh, wow. -Heavy, heavy, heavy, yeah? 81 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:54,800 Okay, I have it, I have it. 82 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,800 -[Fadi] Hold this, please. -Yup. Heavy, heavy. 83 00:03:02,700 --> 00:03:04,500 I have it. Oh, I don't. 84 00:03:13,166 --> 00:03:16,533 Oh, my word! 85 00:03:17,767 --> 00:03:20,367 The past is all around us. 86 00:03:20,367 --> 00:03:22,467 Oh, this is crazy. 87 00:03:22,467 --> 00:03:23,900 A world of mystery... 88 00:03:23,900 --> 00:03:25,600 -This is a plane? -[man] Yeah. 89 00:03:27,266 --> 00:03:27,967 ...danger... 90 00:03:27,967 --> 00:03:29,600 We are about to be underwater. 91 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:30,533 Whoa! 92 00:03:31,967 --> 00:03:33,300 ...and adventure. 93 00:03:35,467 --> 00:03:37,500 It's just straight down. 94 00:03:38,166 --> 00:03:40,100 [grunting] 95 00:03:41,567 --> 00:03:43,867 I travel to the far corners of the earth 96 00:03:43,867 --> 00:03:46,500 to uncover where legends end 97 00:03:47,800 --> 00:03:49,400 and history begins. 98 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:50,834 Yeah, let's punch it. 99 00:03:51,367 --> 00:03:52,500 I'm Josh Gates. 100 00:03:52,500 --> 00:03:56,300 And this is Expedition Unknown. 101 00:03:59,300 --> 00:04:00,567 Are they graves, do you think? 102 00:04:00,567 --> 00:04:02,000 I think they could be graves. 103 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,500 They're all partitioned off. Look at that. 104 00:04:04,500 --> 00:04:06,367 I can hardly believe it. 105 00:04:06,367 --> 00:04:09,100 We are peering into the darkness of an ancient tomb 106 00:04:09,100 --> 00:04:12,400 discovered beneath the famed Treasury in Petra. 107 00:04:15,867 --> 00:04:18,200 This is a city of enduring mysteries, 108 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,867 mysteries that I've traveled a long way to investigate. 109 00:04:21,867 --> 00:04:25,767 To find out how its builders, the Nabateans, came to power 110 00:04:25,767 --> 00:04:28,667 and what happened to their once-flourishing kingdom, 111 00:04:28,667 --> 00:04:31,500 I made the trip here, through the winding slot canyon, 112 00:04:31,500 --> 00:04:32,533 known as the Siq, 113 00:04:32,533 --> 00:04:35,767 that has long concealed the entrance to Petra. 114 00:04:35,767 --> 00:04:38,367 Always knew someday you'd come walking back through my door. 115 00:04:38,367 --> 00:04:40,166 Oh, you even quote Raiders. 116 00:04:40,166 --> 00:04:43,367 My old friend, archeologist Pearce Paul Creasman, 117 00:04:43,367 --> 00:04:46,900 has been leading me on a journey through the sands of time. 118 00:04:46,900 --> 00:04:49,567 Together, we visited remote cliffs, 119 00:04:49,567 --> 00:04:51,800 where a clue was chiseled in stone 120 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,200 hundreds of feet above the desert floor. 121 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:55,367 We need to scan it. 122 00:04:55,367 --> 00:04:56,367 [Josh] No. 123 00:04:56,367 --> 00:04:58,700 It's a sheer cliff face, man. 124 00:05:00,867 --> 00:05:04,800 After dangling by a thread and scanning the inscription, 125 00:05:04,800 --> 00:05:08,000 we decoded the Nabatean origin story. 126 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,300 Nomads who filled a power vacuum in these vast deserts. 127 00:05:12,300 --> 00:05:15,166 So here we are, centuries before Petra is really a thing... 128 00:05:15,166 --> 00:05:17,200 -[Pearce] Yeah. -...and the Nabateans are on the scene. 129 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:18,033 [Pearce] Yes. 130 00:05:18,033 --> 00:05:19,900 [Josh] At their first city of Sela, 131 00:05:19,900 --> 00:05:22,266 they learned to shape the rock itself, 132 00:05:22,266 --> 00:05:25,567 creating homes, tombs and chambers 133 00:05:25,567 --> 00:05:29,166 to collect the most precious commodity of all, water. 134 00:05:29,166 --> 00:05:31,767 This is a big part of the secret of the Nabateans' rise 135 00:05:31,767 --> 00:05:34,133 is their ability to manage water. 136 00:05:34,900 --> 00:05:36,767 [Josh] By the first century BC, 137 00:05:36,767 --> 00:05:38,667 the Nabateans leveraged their skills 138 00:05:38,667 --> 00:05:42,667 to become masters of the desert and a trade empire, 139 00:05:42,667 --> 00:05:45,367 moving the rich resources of the ancient world 140 00:05:45,367 --> 00:05:48,000 through one of the harshest environments on earth 141 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,767 and becoming fabulously wealthy. 142 00:05:50,767 --> 00:05:54,400 And with that wealth, they built their capital at Petra, 143 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,667 a marvel of architecture and engineering 144 00:05:58,667 --> 00:06:02,500 that was once home to tens of thousands of people. 145 00:06:02,500 --> 00:06:04,767 The so called Rose City was hand carved 146 00:06:04,767 --> 00:06:07,300 into the sandstone cliffs and canyons. 147 00:06:07,967 --> 00:06:10,000 And that brings us back here, 148 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,166 to the iconic wonder known as the Treasury. 149 00:06:13,166 --> 00:06:15,667 Was it a repository for riches, 150 00:06:15,667 --> 00:06:17,367 a temple, a palace, 151 00:06:17,367 --> 00:06:19,700 or a tomb for a Nabatean king? 152 00:06:19,700 --> 00:06:24,600 The answers may lie beneath it in the chamber we've just discovered. 153 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:27,000 Look at that. It's all compartments. 154 00:06:27,467 --> 00:06:28,667 They're all sectioned off. 155 00:06:28,667 --> 00:06:30,400 [Pearce] It looks like a catacomb. 156 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:32,000 It does look like a catacomb. 157 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:33,767 [Pearce] Fadi, have you seen anything like that? 158 00:06:33,767 --> 00:06:35,000 Never. 159 00:06:35,467 --> 00:06:37,467 [Josh] Nothing, and I mean nothing like this 160 00:06:37,467 --> 00:06:39,700 has ever been found in Petra. 161 00:06:39,700 --> 00:06:41,166 In every other instance, 162 00:06:41,166 --> 00:06:44,400 the Nabateans dug simple niches into cave walls, 163 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:46,800 or dug down into the bedrock. 164 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:51,000 But these raised slotted structures, this is unique. 165 00:06:51,567 --> 00:06:53,300 [Fadi speaking] 166 00:06:54,266 --> 00:06:55,867 Right. Most of these rooms you see, 167 00:06:55,867 --> 00:06:57,667 -they're either flat floors... -[Fadi] Carve. 168 00:06:57,667 --> 00:06:58,867 -...or they carve into the floors. -Yeah. 169 00:06:58,867 --> 00:07:00,767 [Fadi] But this is something different. 170 00:07:00,767 --> 00:07:03,567 They could be really solving all the issue about-- 171 00:07:03,567 --> 00:07:05,166 -The age of this. -The age of the Treasury 172 00:07:05,166 --> 00:07:07,166 -and the function of the Treasury... -[Josh] Right. 173 00:07:07,166 --> 00:07:08,367 ...and the use of the Treasury. 174 00:07:08,367 --> 00:07:11,800 And the Treasury is not only what we see above. 175 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,166 It could be a whole story that's linked to each other. 176 00:07:14,166 --> 00:07:15,467 -Below? -Below. 177 00:07:15,467 --> 00:07:18,166 [Josh] The dream would be to find human remains. 178 00:07:18,166 --> 00:07:20,400 But it may be more of a fantasy. 179 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,567 That's because of the thousands of tombs 180 00:07:22,567 --> 00:07:24,567 discovered in the heart of Petra, 181 00:07:24,567 --> 00:07:27,467 nearly every single one of them was found empty, 182 00:07:27,467 --> 00:07:29,900 looted or cleaned out long ago. 183 00:07:29,900 --> 00:07:32,600 So, it smells musty as hell. 184 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:35,467 [Pearce] It's got that very distinctive tomb smell to it. 185 00:07:35,467 --> 00:07:36,467 [Josh] Exactly. Right? 186 00:07:36,467 --> 00:07:37,467 Probably that's mold. 187 00:07:39,166 --> 00:07:41,667 [Josh] Mold, for homeowners, it's a headache. 188 00:07:41,667 --> 00:07:44,266 For archeologists, it can be lethal. 189 00:07:44,266 --> 00:07:46,000 So, after donning respirators, 190 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:49,700 we call for a ladder to access the chamber below. 191 00:07:49,700 --> 00:07:51,233 Ladder's going down. 192 00:07:52,867 --> 00:07:54,166 Are you ready? 193 00:07:54,166 --> 00:07:55,500 [Pearce] I'm ready. I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna set the ladder, 194 00:07:55,500 --> 00:07:57,066 and then everybody come down. 195 00:07:57,066 --> 00:07:58,100 [Josh] Sounds good. Let's do it. 196 00:07:58,100 --> 00:08:00,567 Pearce Paul takes the lead. 197 00:08:00,567 --> 00:08:04,133 Once he disappears into the darkness, the rest of us follow. 198 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:08,900 Here we go. 199 00:08:08,900 --> 00:08:13,166 But even before my eyes have time to adjust, there's a discovery. 200 00:08:13,166 --> 00:08:15,367 [Fadi] Oh, my God! 201 00:08:15,367 --> 00:08:16,667 [Josh] What is it? 202 00:08:16,667 --> 00:08:17,667 [Fadi] Skeletons. 203 00:08:17,667 --> 00:08:19,400 -[Josh] Skeletons? -[Fadi] Yes. 204 00:08:20,166 --> 00:08:22,500 [Pearce] Oh, my God. Look at that. 205 00:08:22,500 --> 00:08:24,333 There's bodies in here. 206 00:08:24,867 --> 00:08:26,367 The bodies seem to be resting 207 00:08:26,367 --> 00:08:29,467 in compartments created by these raised stone walls, 208 00:08:29,467 --> 00:08:32,400 and they appear to be everywhere. 209 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:33,367 [Fadi] Another one there. 210 00:08:33,367 --> 00:08:34,967 [Josh] Oh, another one right in front of it. 211 00:08:34,967 --> 00:08:37,166 -[Fadi] It's a child. -[Josh] That's a child. 212 00:08:37,166 --> 00:08:39,200 -[Fadi] It's a child. -[Josh] Oh, my word. 213 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:40,266 And another. 214 00:08:40,266 --> 00:08:42,200 Another full skeleton. Look at that. 215 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:44,300 So you think this could be a family? 216 00:08:44,300 --> 00:08:46,100 [Pearce] It has all the hallmarks of a family crypt. 217 00:08:46,100 --> 00:08:50,467 We can take samples and check the DNA and see if they're related. 218 00:08:50,467 --> 00:08:51,900 [Josh] What's in these other pits? 219 00:08:51,900 --> 00:08:52,934 Do you think there's more? 220 00:08:52,934 --> 00:08:55,500 [Pearce] I mean, there's only one way to find out. 221 00:08:55,500 --> 00:08:57,400 [Josh] Let's see what's in the other chambers. 222 00:09:00,066 --> 00:09:01,066 [Pearce] That's it. 223 00:09:01,066 --> 00:09:02,567 -[Josh] More burials? -[Pearce] More burials. 224 00:09:02,567 --> 00:09:03,433 I see at least... 225 00:09:04,367 --> 00:09:06,066 At least three skulls. 226 00:09:06,066 --> 00:09:08,367 This one's a little disturbed. 227 00:09:08,367 --> 00:09:10,367 -[Josh] Three more skulls? -[Pearce] At least. 228 00:09:10,367 --> 00:09:12,266 [Josh] Just look at the condition of this. 229 00:09:12,266 --> 00:09:17,333 The entire individual is here with these offerings, whatever they are. 230 00:09:18,300 --> 00:09:19,600 [Pearce] And there's more. 231 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:21,967 [Josh] How many individuals are in this room? 232 00:09:21,967 --> 00:09:25,767 [Fadi] One, two, three, four. 233 00:09:25,767 --> 00:09:26,967 [Pearce] At least 12. 234 00:09:26,967 --> 00:09:30,400 I mean-- And if we-- When we excavate, we may find more. 235 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:33,200 [Josh] This is a momentous discovery. 236 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:37,667 The many tombs of Petra that line the canyon above are all empty now. 237 00:09:37,667 --> 00:09:39,867 Yet, here is a massive burial chamber 238 00:09:39,867 --> 00:09:43,967 hidden directly beneath the most famous building in the city. 239 00:09:43,967 --> 00:09:46,567 There are at least a dozen bodies in this room. 240 00:09:46,567 --> 00:09:49,567 Have you ever found a tomb with 12 burials in it? 241 00:09:49,567 --> 00:09:50,533 -[Fadi] Never. -[Josh] Never? 242 00:09:50,533 --> 00:09:52,934 -[Fadi] Never. -[Josh] This is unbelievable. 243 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,000 [Fadi] Well done, guys. Well done, well done. 244 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:56,967 -Well done. -[Josh] This is amazing. 245 00:09:56,967 --> 00:09:58,500 -[Fares] Congratulations. -[Josh] Thank you. 246 00:09:58,500 --> 00:10:00,600 -[Fares] Well done. -[Josh] What a thrill. 247 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:01,700 Oh, my word. 248 00:10:01,700 --> 00:10:04,066 We're just starting now. We need to know who they are. 249 00:10:04,066 --> 00:10:05,400 [Pearce] Well, now we gotta get to work. 250 00:10:11,700 --> 00:10:12,867 [Pearce] This has been the easy part. 251 00:10:12,867 --> 00:10:14,300 [Josh] Huh. This was the easy part? 252 00:10:14,300 --> 00:10:16,200 -[Pearce] We're in. -[Josh] Oh, come on. 253 00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,166 I'm living every archaeologist's dream, 254 00:10:19,166 --> 00:10:21,166 excavating a newly-discovered tomb 255 00:10:21,166 --> 00:10:23,500 beneath the Treasury in Petra. 256 00:10:23,500 --> 00:10:26,667 One with something almost never found here, 257 00:10:26,667 --> 00:10:28,200 actual human remains. 258 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:31,900 We're hoping they can help us fill in crucial missing details 259 00:10:31,900 --> 00:10:33,767 about both the building above us 260 00:10:33,767 --> 00:10:36,667 and the Nabatean people who carved it. 261 00:10:36,667 --> 00:10:39,400 -How many people visit Petra a year? -[Fares] One million. 262 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:40,700 -[Josh] A million? -[Fares] Yes. 263 00:10:40,700 --> 00:10:43,567 -[Josh] And they walk right above our heads. -[Fares] Exactly. 264 00:10:43,567 --> 00:10:47,000 [Josh] And until this moment, nobody knew this was here. 265 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,000 -[Fadi] Never. -[Fares] No one knew this existed. 266 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:50,867 [Pearce] Now we have to photograph everything, 267 00:10:50,867 --> 00:10:52,266 we have to measure everything, 268 00:10:52,266 --> 00:10:54,066 we have to conserve, preserve. 269 00:10:54,066 --> 00:10:56,867 And we have to present it for people to understand it. 270 00:10:56,867 --> 00:10:57,600 [Josh] Right. 271 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,367 Okay, well, let's get to work. 272 00:10:59,367 --> 00:11:01,867 Before anything can be disturbed, 273 00:11:01,867 --> 00:11:04,100 it must all be documented. 274 00:11:04,100 --> 00:11:06,967 Pearce Paul photographs the tomb. 275 00:11:06,967 --> 00:11:11,667 Then archeologist Matthew Vincent deploys a 3D like a scanner. 276 00:11:11,667 --> 00:11:14,266 The device emits pulses of laser light, 277 00:11:14,266 --> 00:11:16,900 as many as two million per second. 278 00:11:16,900 --> 00:11:20,467 The result, a remarkable digital topographic map 279 00:11:20,467 --> 00:11:25,066 of both the entrance and the interior of the newly-found tomb. 280 00:11:25,066 --> 00:11:29,000 Once it's complete, we're ready to get our hands dirty. 281 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:30,700 [Pearce] It's time to get into the excavation. 282 00:11:30,700 --> 00:11:32,166 And we're gonna start here. 283 00:11:32,166 --> 00:11:33,567 We're gonna stick close to the wall. 284 00:11:33,567 --> 00:11:35,467 -We want to go to the far end... -[Josh] Uh-huh. 285 00:11:35,467 --> 00:11:37,900 -...and then work our way back. -[Josh] Got it. 286 00:11:38,767 --> 00:11:41,767 We very carefully drop down into the first pit 287 00:11:41,767 --> 00:11:47,266 and gingerly excavate to see if anything was buried alongside these Nabateans. 288 00:11:47,266 --> 00:11:51,600 These bones are just under this fine layer of dust that's settled in here. 289 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:52,900 But underneath them, look at that. 290 00:11:52,900 --> 00:11:53,900 They just shine through. 291 00:11:53,900 --> 00:11:57,100 There's a standalone skull in the corner, yes? 292 00:11:57,100 --> 00:11:58,767 [Pearce] Look at this cut in the chin. 293 00:11:58,767 --> 00:12:00,166 [Josh] There's a fracture in the bone. 294 00:12:00,166 --> 00:12:02,300 [Pearce] It looks like there's a cut in the bone, 295 00:12:02,300 --> 00:12:04,567 so somebody got a pretty good knock 296 00:12:04,567 --> 00:12:06,867 -in their lifetime. -[Josh] Incredible. 297 00:12:06,867 --> 00:12:08,800 [Pearce] But up here, we see these little black spots. 298 00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:11,400 This is charcoal. 299 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:12,767 When they buried this person, 300 00:12:12,767 --> 00:12:15,066 they buried them with something in a vessel 301 00:12:15,066 --> 00:12:16,433 that had been burned. 302 00:12:16,433 --> 00:12:18,667 [Josh] Would it have been some sort of burning your offering here? 303 00:12:18,667 --> 00:12:20,700 [Pearce] Yes. So hopefully-- 304 00:12:20,700 --> 00:12:22,367 Ah, here it comes. 305 00:12:22,367 --> 00:12:24,266 -[Josh] Pottery. -[Pearce] Starting to get some pottery. 306 00:12:24,266 --> 00:12:25,800 [Josh] Look at that. 307 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:29,400 The fragments we're finding may not be big, but they're still invaluable 308 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:32,600 in narrowing down who this tomb once belonged to. 309 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:35,667 [Pearce] Really thin, really fragile, 310 00:12:35,667 --> 00:12:37,767 -and Nabatean pottery. -[Josh] Oh, yeah. 311 00:12:37,767 --> 00:12:39,667 Look at that. That's pottery. 312 00:12:39,667 --> 00:12:41,266 While we don't yet know for sure, 313 00:12:41,266 --> 00:12:44,467 Pearce Paul thinks the pottery might be early Nabatean, 314 00:12:44,467 --> 00:12:47,100 which would place it in the first century BC. 315 00:12:47,100 --> 00:12:50,400 And the unproven theory as to when the Treasury was built? 316 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:53,100 [Pearce] Something like 40 AD. 317 00:12:53,100 --> 00:12:55,767 [Josh] So this could be nearly a century before that. 318 00:12:55,767 --> 00:12:58,000 [Pearce] Yes. That is powerful for us 319 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,266 because a big part of this excavation 320 00:13:00,266 --> 00:13:02,867 -is to understand what's going on in the Treasury. -[Josh] Right. 321 00:13:02,867 --> 00:13:06,100 [Pearce] Because we don't have a lot of burials from Petra, 322 00:13:06,100 --> 00:13:08,166 and we don't have a lot of early burials. 323 00:13:08,166 --> 00:13:11,000 -[Josh] Right. -Even smaller fraction of them are the early ones. 324 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:12,900 -[Josh] Amazing. -[Pearce] So this is going to be great. 325 00:13:13,967 --> 00:13:16,367 [Josh] It has been theorized, but never proven, 326 00:13:16,367 --> 00:13:20,700 that the Treasury was built during the reign of a king named Aretas IV, 327 00:13:20,700 --> 00:13:24,300 who ruled the Nabateans during their most prosperous era. 328 00:13:24,300 --> 00:13:26,300 Earlier, while digging, we found a coin 329 00:13:26,300 --> 00:13:28,767 dating to the time of his predecessor. 330 00:13:28,767 --> 00:13:32,400 If this pottery ends up being dated to that same period, 331 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:34,200 it could help confirm the theory, 332 00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:36,800 since the Treasury was built above this layer, 333 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:38,767 which means later in time. 334 00:13:38,767 --> 00:13:41,367 [Pearce] If the Treasury wasn't there 335 00:13:41,367 --> 00:13:44,000 when this was made, 336 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,667 these people are still really important people 337 00:13:47,667 --> 00:13:50,200 because good real estate is good real estate. 338 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,700 This is an important location. 339 00:13:53,700 --> 00:13:57,767 [Josh] We continue to delicately brush away the sand around the remains 340 00:13:57,767 --> 00:14:00,900 to expose any artifacts buried with them. 341 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,767 So by this bone here, I've got what looks like 342 00:14:04,767 --> 00:14:07,667 a piece of pottery right in here. 343 00:14:07,667 --> 00:14:12,367 [Pearce] That's that really thin, fine early Nabatean pottery. 344 00:14:12,367 --> 00:14:14,100 So here's what I don't see so far. 345 00:14:14,100 --> 00:14:16,000 -I don't see jewelry. -[Josh] Right. 346 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,367 [Pearce] I don't see trinkets, personal adornments. 347 00:14:18,367 --> 00:14:20,100 I don't see a lot of stuff. 348 00:14:20,100 --> 00:14:20,900 [Josh] I mean, nothing. 349 00:14:20,900 --> 00:14:22,200 [Pearce] And we see that as a pattern 350 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:26,133 recurring in early Nabatean burials, the lack of stuff. 351 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,166 [Josh] While this is proving to be one of the 352 00:14:29,166 --> 00:14:33,000 largest collections of remains ever found at Petra, 353 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:37,266 discoveries at the Nabateans' other city of Hegra in Saudi Arabia 354 00:14:37,266 --> 00:14:39,266 have shown that they were often buried 355 00:14:39,266 --> 00:14:40,400 with layered shrouds 356 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:43,100 of leather and colorful fabric. 357 00:14:43,100 --> 00:14:46,467 Both of which may have rotted away in our wet tomb. 358 00:14:46,467 --> 00:14:49,266 In addition, small but stunning relics were found there, 359 00:14:49,266 --> 00:14:54,200 including cones, and even a small camel in bronze. 360 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:59,000 But like here at Petra, the burials there were not packed with rich offerings. 361 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,000 Rather, it looked like the Nabateans seemed to believe 362 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,000 that you can't take it with you. 363 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:05,800 [Josh] So this looks like part of the spine here. 364 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:07,500 [Pearce] Yup. And you've got vertebrae. 365 00:15:07,500 --> 00:15:09,500 -[Josh] These are ribs. -[Pearce] Yeah. 366 00:15:09,500 --> 00:15:13,300 And under your right hand, you've got the collarbone, clavicle. 367 00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:16,300 -[Josh] I mean, it looks like maybe an arm here, arm bone. -[Pearce] Yeah. 368 00:15:17,100 --> 00:15:19,367 -Very clearly the chin there... -[Josh] Yeah. 369 00:15:19,367 --> 00:15:21,900 ...mandible, back of the ear. 370 00:15:27,700 --> 00:15:29,300 [Josh] The arm is literally reaching out. 371 00:15:29,300 --> 00:15:31,066 [Pearce] It's evocative, isn't it? 372 00:15:31,066 --> 00:15:32,634 [Josh] It really is. 373 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:34,400 [Josh] I've got pottery here. 374 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:35,567 [Pearce] Yeah? 375 00:15:35,567 --> 00:15:37,700 -Oh, good. -[Josh] It looks like the piece of a vessel. 376 00:15:37,700 --> 00:15:38,767 [Pearce] Nice, nice. 377 00:15:38,767 --> 00:15:40,066 [Josh] Oh, there's a base on it. 378 00:15:40,066 --> 00:15:41,900 [Pearce] All right. So this is gonna be really helpful for us. 379 00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:44,667 It's gonna tell us something about the time and place. 380 00:15:44,667 --> 00:15:46,367 It's nice to have a couple of body shards. 381 00:15:46,367 --> 00:15:48,200 But when we have the rims and the feet, 382 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,166 that's when we can get really precise, 383 00:15:50,166 --> 00:15:53,100 compare it to existing cataloged information 384 00:15:53,100 --> 00:15:55,000 and tell us a lot more about the time and place. 385 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,367 [Josh] That is incredible. 386 00:15:57,367 --> 00:15:59,166 The Nabateans we're discovering here 387 00:15:59,166 --> 00:16:02,133 are just beginning to speak to Pearce Paul. 388 00:16:03,266 --> 00:16:05,800 But it turns out there are others waiting for that chance, 389 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:07,834 who may rank a little higher. 390 00:16:08,767 --> 00:16:10,200 -Wow. -Hey, Pearce Paul. 391 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:12,300 The ambassador is here to see you. 392 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:14,133 [Josh] There's an ambassador? 393 00:16:14,133 --> 00:16:16,467 [Pearce] Yeah, I invited the American ambassador. 394 00:16:16,467 --> 00:16:17,700 [Josh] What-- Okay. 395 00:16:21,767 --> 00:16:22,600 -[Yael] Hi. -Hello. 396 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:24,300 Really nice to meet you, Ambassador. 397 00:16:24,300 --> 00:16:25,700 It's fantastic to meet you. 398 00:16:25,700 --> 00:16:28,100 I've never met anybody in quite these conditions before. 399 00:16:28,100 --> 00:16:29,333 This is incredible. 400 00:16:29,333 --> 00:16:31,367 You know, you never know who you're gonna bump into at a tomb. 401 00:16:31,367 --> 00:16:34,400 Meet Yael Lempert, the actual, no kidding, 402 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:38,000 US ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 403 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:39,266 It's really nice to meet you. 404 00:16:39,266 --> 00:16:40,500 [Yael] It's a pleasure to meet you. 405 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:41,934 -Pleasure to meet you. -We're so excited to have you here. 406 00:16:41,934 --> 00:16:43,867 I have a gift for you. You're probably gonna want one of these. 407 00:16:43,867 --> 00:16:45,500 And as a true diplomat, 408 00:16:45,500 --> 00:16:48,300 she's here to meet the new neighbors. 409 00:16:48,300 --> 00:16:51,533 We waste no time escorting the ambassador into the tomb. 410 00:16:55,467 --> 00:16:59,467 [Yael] Can I ask, do you think that these are kings and queens or nobles 411 00:16:59,467 --> 00:17:00,467 who are buried here? 412 00:17:00,467 --> 00:17:02,500 Given the location underneath the Treasury. 413 00:17:02,500 --> 00:17:04,166 [Pearce] The people here mattered. 414 00:17:04,166 --> 00:17:06,400 Were they kings and queens? I don't know. 415 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:07,867 [Josh] No question they must be 416 00:17:07,867 --> 00:17:10,066 significant individuals to be here, you know? 417 00:17:10,066 --> 00:17:14,166 I mean, where we are was prime real estate, still is prime real estate. 418 00:17:14,166 --> 00:17:17,000 -[Yael] Absolutely. -[Josh] So it has to be somebody significant for sure. 419 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:18,400 [Pearce speaking] 420 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:20,467 [Josh] That's right. At least 12. At least 12. 421 00:17:20,467 --> 00:17:22,433 -[Yael] Archeologists' humor. -[Josh] Yeah, exactly. 422 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:25,800 I have to say, in coming here, 423 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:30,166 my assumption was that we weren't going to to be looking at human remains. 424 00:17:30,166 --> 00:17:32,767 I just thought that at Petra, that didn't happen. 425 00:17:32,767 --> 00:17:33,967 [Pearce] It's exceedingly rare. 426 00:17:33,967 --> 00:17:36,166 -[Yael] Truly once-in-a-lifetime. -[Pearce] Absolutely. 427 00:17:36,166 --> 00:17:38,000 [Josh] Having been lucky enough 428 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,500 to visit famous archeological sites, 429 00:17:40,500 --> 00:17:41,867 heritage sites around the world, 430 00:17:41,867 --> 00:17:43,667 there really is nothing like Petra. 431 00:17:43,667 --> 00:17:44,867 [Yael] And it keeps getting better and better 432 00:17:44,867 --> 00:17:46,367 because there keep being finds like this. 433 00:17:46,367 --> 00:17:49,600 And I'm so grateful for the work that Jordanian and American archeologists 434 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:51,066 and researchers are doing together 435 00:17:51,066 --> 00:17:54,100 because it enables incredible discoveries like this. 436 00:17:54,100 --> 00:17:56,900 It's just the latest chapter in the great partnership 437 00:17:56,900 --> 00:18:00,367 between the United States and Jordan in archeology 438 00:18:00,367 --> 00:18:03,000 and in preservation of Jordan's incredible cultural heritage. 439 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,867 -[Josh] Yeah. -[Pearce] It's a smorgasbord of archeology. 440 00:18:05,867 --> 00:18:06,867 -[Yael] Yes. -[Josh] Yeah, that's right. 441 00:18:06,867 --> 00:18:08,567 -A lifetime of work to be done. -[Yael] Yes. 442 00:18:08,567 --> 00:18:09,867 -[Pearce] You better get to work. -[Yael] Yeah. 443 00:18:09,867 --> 00:18:11,000 What are you guys doing? 444 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:12,200 -Come on. Stop slacking off. -[Josh] Sorry, Ambassador. 445 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:14,233 Back to work, back to work. 446 00:18:15,367 --> 00:18:16,767 The ambassador takes her leave, 447 00:18:16,767 --> 00:18:18,767 and we return to the excavation 448 00:18:18,767 --> 00:18:22,000 until the sun sets behind the canyon walls. 449 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,467 The team doesn't want to stray too far from this important discovery, 450 00:18:25,467 --> 00:18:29,700 so I'm offered yet another once-in-a-lifetime experience, 451 00:18:29,700 --> 00:18:34,934 an invitation to camp in front of the Treasury with the local Bedouin tribe. 452 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:39,066 First of all, thank you so much for this. 453 00:18:39,066 --> 00:18:39,867 It's incredible. 454 00:18:39,867 --> 00:18:42,467 An amazing place to spend the night. 455 00:18:42,467 --> 00:18:43,700 [tribesman speaking] 456 00:18:57,567 --> 00:18:59,367 [Josh] The Bedouins are, in many ways, 457 00:18:59,367 --> 00:19:01,867 the cultural descendants of the Nabateans, 458 00:19:01,867 --> 00:19:05,166 and they have been living and working in Petra for centuries. 459 00:19:05,166 --> 00:19:09,000 For that reason, the site has never been truly abandoned. 460 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,200 And how long have you lived here? 461 00:19:13,667 --> 00:19:15,500 You're-- You're 75 years? 462 00:19:16,367 --> 00:19:18,000 You look amazing. 463 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,900 Is Petra very different today than when you were young? 464 00:19:20,900 --> 00:19:22,967 -[tribesman speaking] -It must be a different world. 465 00:19:22,967 --> 00:19:23,967 [tribesman speaking] 466 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:27,834 You like it better now or then? 467 00:19:29,767 --> 00:19:32,200 -Yeah? Why? -[tribesman speaking] 468 00:19:44,567 --> 00:19:46,000 [Josh] We continue the conversation 469 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,166 over a home-cooked lamb dinner 470 00:19:48,166 --> 00:19:49,934 fit for a Nabatean king. 471 00:19:52,767 --> 00:19:55,233 I like the Bedouin life. This is nice. 472 00:19:57,300 --> 00:19:58,233 I am a Bedouin. 473 00:19:58,233 --> 00:20:00,467 -Honorary Bedouin. -[tribesman] Yeah. Yeah. 474 00:20:00,467 --> 00:20:02,000 [Josh] This is a complete stranger 475 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:03,767 who has given us sumptuous food 476 00:20:03,767 --> 00:20:05,900 and a safe place to sleep for the night, 477 00:20:05,900 --> 00:20:09,667 a tradition that he has passed on to the next generations. 478 00:20:09,667 --> 00:20:11,533 How many children do you have? 479 00:20:13,567 --> 00:20:16,233 I'm afraid to ask this. How many grandchildren? 480 00:20:19,100 --> 00:20:20,600 [Josh] Whoo! 481 00:20:23,066 --> 00:20:24,700 -Well, yes, they're all related to you. -[tribesman] Yeah. 482 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:29,000 You know, after this wonderful meal, 483 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:30,166 we're gonna sleep easy tonight. 484 00:20:30,166 --> 00:20:31,500 I know. We're going to sleep very easy. 485 00:20:31,500 --> 00:20:32,600 Ah, you will. 486 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:34,400 -Well, thank you very much again. Shukran. -Welcome. 487 00:20:35,100 --> 00:20:36,667 [Josh] Thank you. 488 00:20:36,667 --> 00:20:40,467 There is truly no hospitality like Bedouin hospitality. 489 00:20:40,467 --> 00:20:42,400 It is a point of cultural pride, 490 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:44,567 and one that I'm grateful to benefit from 491 00:20:44,567 --> 00:20:48,000 as we drift asleep in the shadow of the ancients. 492 00:20:54,500 --> 00:20:56,100 As soon as the sun rises, though, 493 00:20:56,100 --> 00:20:58,100 we're back digging in the tomb. 494 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:01,100 Now that we've exposed most of the skeletons, 495 00:21:01,100 --> 00:21:03,000 our plan is to brush around them, 496 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,767 looking for any burial offerings. 497 00:21:05,767 --> 00:21:07,533 Look at this skeleton. 498 00:21:08,266 --> 00:21:10,400 It's incredible. It looks really complete. 499 00:21:12,266 --> 00:21:13,367 So, legs here. 500 00:21:13,367 --> 00:21:15,667 Looks like the feet are missing. 501 00:21:15,667 --> 00:21:18,300 [Pearce] Just-- It's so delicate. 502 00:21:18,300 --> 00:21:20,700 [Josh] Yeah, you can hardly even dust it. 503 00:21:20,700 --> 00:21:23,133 The bone is just so fragile. 504 00:21:24,767 --> 00:21:27,000 Oh, my God. Look at this. 505 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,333 -Do you see this? -[Pearce] I do see this. 506 00:21:29,867 --> 00:21:30,734 [Josh] Is that a vessel? 507 00:21:30,734 --> 00:21:32,867 [Pearce] It looks like something there. 508 00:21:32,867 --> 00:21:34,367 [Josh] I can't believe I'm saying this, 509 00:21:34,367 --> 00:21:38,800 but that looks exactly like the Grail from Last Crusade. 510 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:48,100 I can't believe I'm saying this, 511 00:21:48,100 --> 00:21:51,200 -but that looks like the cup of a carpenter. -[Pearce chuckles] 512 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,000 It does. Admit that it looks just like it. 513 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:55,500 [Pearce] It looks exactly like it. 514 00:21:57,166 --> 00:21:59,266 [Josh] The Treasury in Petra is world famous 515 00:21:59,266 --> 00:22:01,367 as the resting place for the Holy Grail 516 00:22:01,367 --> 00:22:04,066 in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 517 00:22:04,066 --> 00:22:05,867 And up until about ten seconds ago, 518 00:22:05,867 --> 00:22:08,300 I was sure that was just a movie. 519 00:22:09,367 --> 00:22:10,867 It's just such a coincidence 520 00:22:10,867 --> 00:22:14,100 -that directly underneath the Treasury... -[Pearce] Uh-huh. 521 00:22:14,100 --> 00:22:16,400 -...the building from Last Crusade. -Yeah, yeah. 522 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,000 You know what everybody's gonna think? 523 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,233 -We planted it. -[Josh] I know. We did not put this here. 524 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:24,600 -[Pearce] It belongs in a museum. -[Josh laughs] 525 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,400 [Josh] Jokes aside, this is an important find. 526 00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:32,166 With so few precious objects found in the Nabataean burials here at Petra, 527 00:22:32,166 --> 00:22:35,100 it needs to be preserved. 528 00:22:35,100 --> 00:22:37,400 [Pearce] So I'm gonna brush a little bit more around the edges here. 529 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,100 -It's already loose, I can feel it shifting. -[Josh] Okay. 530 00:22:40,100 --> 00:22:45,467 So we're going to take it, we're gonna put it in a bucket over there of sand. 531 00:22:45,467 --> 00:22:50,533 [Josh] We delicately clear the sand around the ceramic before we attempt to move it. 532 00:22:51,300 --> 00:22:52,600 [Pearce] It's ready to come out. 533 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:54,433 [Josh] Okay, here we go. 534 00:22:55,100 --> 00:22:56,533 Nice and easy. 535 00:22:59,867 --> 00:23:01,133 [Josh exclaims] 536 00:23:02,367 --> 00:23:04,734 Look at that. [exclaims] 537 00:23:06,767 --> 00:23:08,100 Beautiful. 538 00:23:08,100 --> 00:23:10,066 [Pearce] All right. Careful as we go. 539 00:23:10,066 --> 00:23:12,900 -[Josh] We're taking this outside to photograph, yes? -[Pearce] Yeah. 540 00:23:12,900 --> 00:23:15,800 -[Josh] There's one problem with that. -[Pearce] What's that? 541 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,767 The Grail cannot pass beyond the Great Seal. 542 00:23:18,767 --> 00:23:20,166 [Pearce] It's not the Grail! 543 00:23:20,166 --> 00:23:21,367 That is the boundary, Pearce. 544 00:23:21,367 --> 00:23:23,800 That is the price of immortality. 545 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:25,700 All right, sorry, let's take it out of here. 546 00:23:25,700 --> 00:23:27,500 It looks a lot like the Grail. 547 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:35,667 In truth, the piece of ceramic is actually the top half of a larger jug. 548 00:23:35,667 --> 00:23:39,667 The most complete piece of pottery we've found in the tomb so far. 549 00:23:39,667 --> 00:23:42,600 And while it's doing a great impression of the Holy Grail, 550 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:46,734 Pearce Paul believes it may be about a century older than Jesus. 551 00:23:50,066 --> 00:23:52,767 While this and the other ceramics we've been finding 552 00:23:52,767 --> 00:23:55,166 look like they may be early Nabataean, 553 00:23:55,166 --> 00:23:58,266 Pearce Paul needs to get a more specific date. 554 00:23:58,266 --> 00:24:00,700 Fortunately, there is an incredible technology 555 00:24:00,700 --> 00:24:03,166 that may be able to do just that. 556 00:24:03,166 --> 00:24:05,066 So he's called in Dr. Timothy Kinnaird, 557 00:24:05,066 --> 00:24:07,767 research officer with Scotland's 558 00:24:07,767 --> 00:24:11,233 St. Andrew's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. 559 00:24:12,100 --> 00:24:13,100 -[Josh] Hi there. -[Pearce] Hi. 560 00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:14,867 Hi, it's good to see you, Tim. 561 00:24:14,867 --> 00:24:16,767 [Pearce] Josh, this is Tim Kinnaird. 562 00:24:16,767 --> 00:24:18,600 -[Josh] How are you? Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you too. 563 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:20,500 He's gonna help us understand this better. 564 00:24:20,500 --> 00:24:21,567 Okay. So, Tim, tell us 565 00:24:21,567 --> 00:24:22,900 what you're gonna do. 566 00:24:27,266 --> 00:24:29,900 Optically stimulated luminescence? 567 00:24:29,900 --> 00:24:32,200 That sounds risque. 568 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:33,333 -[Tim] That is correct. -[Josh] What is it? 569 00:24:38,066 --> 00:24:39,467 -How? -[Pearce] He's a witch. 570 00:24:39,467 --> 00:24:40,967 Yeah, exactly. 571 00:24:40,967 --> 00:24:45,266 Every grain of sand and soil in the tomb contains particles of quartz. 572 00:24:45,266 --> 00:24:48,367 And when these particles become deposited in the earth, 573 00:24:48,367 --> 00:24:51,767 they begin to accumulate faint amounts of radiation. 574 00:24:51,767 --> 00:24:56,100 OSL measures the radiation and can pinpoint almost exactly 575 00:24:56,100 --> 00:24:59,200 when a soil sample was last exposed to light. 576 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:03,066 Which in this case, would give us the age of the burial. 577 00:25:03,066 --> 00:25:05,600 So we're just gonna take a few soil samples? 578 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:11,900 [Josh] And he does mean completely. 579 00:25:11,900 --> 00:25:14,767 Exposing the samples to even a small amount of light 580 00:25:14,767 --> 00:25:20,000 will reset the clock on them and make the entire experiment worthless, so... 581 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,433 -We have to be in complete darkness? -[Tim speaking] 582 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:27,000 [Pearce] The way it was intended. 583 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:31,100 Yeah, sure. Just seal us in here with 12 dead bodies. 584 00:25:31,100 --> 00:25:34,667 Okay, sounds scary. Here we go. 585 00:25:34,667 --> 00:25:38,700 So that this advanced tech can unlock the date of this ancient tomb, 586 00:25:38,700 --> 00:25:41,967 Pearce Paul's team brings in tarps to seal the entrance, 587 00:25:41,967 --> 00:25:44,967 and we power down our camera's bright lights. 588 00:25:44,967 --> 00:25:46,867 [Tim speaking] 589 00:25:46,867 --> 00:25:49,000 Yep. This will not affect the sample? 590 00:26:10,467 --> 00:26:11,667 [Josh] Got it. 591 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:15,600 There we go, good sample from way underneath. 592 00:26:19,100 --> 00:26:20,767 [Josh] Little glints of light off that quartz. 593 00:26:20,767 --> 00:26:23,266 -[Pearce] Irradiated quartz. -That's right. 594 00:26:23,266 --> 00:26:24,934 [Josh] Okay, so we have our samples? 595 00:26:36,667 --> 00:26:38,066 [Josh] Got it. 596 00:26:38,066 --> 00:26:41,166 Tim seals up his samples for a trip back to his lab, 597 00:26:41,166 --> 00:26:43,667 where he'll get the results in a few weeks' time, 598 00:26:43,667 --> 00:26:46,233 hopefully pinpointing the age of the burial. 599 00:26:47,567 --> 00:26:50,433 But just as one scientist leaves, another enters. 600 00:26:52,667 --> 00:26:56,967 Dicky Bates, the geophysicist whose scan first located the subterranean chamber 601 00:26:56,967 --> 00:26:59,100 in which we're working. 602 00:26:59,100 --> 00:27:01,266 [Josh] Well, good news. Your radar works. 603 00:27:01,266 --> 00:27:03,567 Wow, that is unbelievable. 604 00:27:03,567 --> 00:27:06,800 [Josh] Pearce Paul hasn't just called Dicky down here for a victory lap. 605 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:08,967 He has one more job for him. 606 00:27:08,967 --> 00:27:12,266 Something about this tomb, it's not sitting right with me. 607 00:27:12,266 --> 00:27:16,567 Virtually every other burial we find here is cut into the bedrock. 608 00:27:16,567 --> 00:27:18,600 I wanna see why they chose to build walls. 609 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,166 Why didn't they cut into the floor? 610 00:27:20,166 --> 00:27:22,266 There's no reason to go to all of this effort. 611 00:27:22,266 --> 00:27:24,967 -This is an immense effort to build all these walls. -[Josh] Yeah. 612 00:27:24,967 --> 00:27:26,600 [Pearce] There's something else going on that we should know. 613 00:27:26,600 --> 00:27:29,467 -Is there some big crack running through here? -[Josh] Right. 614 00:27:29,467 --> 00:27:31,767 This tomb is unique in Petra. 615 00:27:31,767 --> 00:27:35,367 Every other tomb found to date has been carved into rock. 616 00:27:35,367 --> 00:27:38,900 Actual partitioning walls constructed from the floor up 617 00:27:38,900 --> 00:27:40,767 have never been seen here before. 618 00:27:40,767 --> 00:27:42,767 And he wants to know why. 619 00:27:42,767 --> 00:27:44,600 You know, there's gotta be some explanation 620 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,266 -for doing this atypical thing. -[Dicky] Yep. 621 00:27:47,266 --> 00:27:49,467 [Josh] To see if there's something beneath the burials, 622 00:27:49,467 --> 00:27:52,400 Pearce Paul wants Dicky to scan again. 623 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:54,867 This time, inside the tomb itself. 624 00:27:54,867 --> 00:27:57,367 Okay, do you have enough room to work in here? 625 00:27:57,367 --> 00:28:01,100 -Well, it's not ideal, but let's give it a shot. -[Josh] Okay, let's try it. 626 00:28:03,266 --> 00:28:05,300 Dicky preps the GPR unit. 627 00:28:05,300 --> 00:28:08,767 Though space is tight, the scanner should be able 628 00:28:08,767 --> 00:28:11,000 to see up to 20 feet down into the ground. 629 00:28:21,100 --> 00:28:22,767 [Dicky] Hey, guys, come and have a look at this. 630 00:28:22,767 --> 00:28:24,133 -[Josh] You got something? -[Dicky] Yeah, now. 631 00:28:25,467 --> 00:28:26,500 Wow. 632 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:28,500 So here, look at that. 633 00:28:28,500 --> 00:28:29,867 What the hell is that? 634 00:28:29,867 --> 00:28:30,500 Yes? 635 00:28:30,500 --> 00:28:32,266 [Dicky] Rock, rock, rock. 636 00:28:32,266 --> 00:28:33,867 And then what does that look like? 637 00:28:33,867 --> 00:28:36,300 Wait, what the hell is that? 638 00:28:41,567 --> 00:28:45,767 It's exactly the same signature as we saw when we found this tomb. 639 00:28:45,767 --> 00:28:46,667 It's a void. 640 00:28:46,667 --> 00:28:49,100 It's a void and it's 12 feet beneath us. 641 00:28:49,100 --> 00:28:52,367 [Josh] A GPR scan inside the newly discovered tomb 642 00:28:52,367 --> 00:28:55,000 beneath Petra's iconic Treasury building, 643 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:59,867 is giving Geophysicist Dicky Bates a serious case of deja vu. 644 00:28:59,867 --> 00:29:03,100 [Pearce] You know, the exact same distance between that and up. 645 00:29:03,100 --> 00:29:05,300 Are you saying there's another level here? 646 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:08,367 Hey, the geophysics was right last time, 647 00:29:08,367 --> 00:29:12,367 and this time it's indicating we've got more below here. 648 00:29:12,367 --> 00:29:14,867 [Josh] This is a sensational development. 649 00:29:14,867 --> 00:29:19,100 We've discovered that here, 12 feet beneath the Treasury, is a long lost tomb. 650 00:29:19,100 --> 00:29:22,900 And now 12 feet deeper, there may well be another. 651 00:29:22,900 --> 00:29:26,000 So the reason they didn't cut down into the floor 652 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:27,300 is 'cause there's something down there. 653 00:29:27,300 --> 00:29:28,667 Because there's something else going on. 654 00:29:28,667 --> 00:29:32,700 So we're not even done in here, and the mysteries of Petra continue. 655 00:29:32,700 --> 00:29:35,867 And also, if this is another level of tombs, 656 00:29:35,867 --> 00:29:38,867 think about what that could mean for the rest of this site. 657 00:29:38,867 --> 00:29:41,200 I mean, it might go down that far everywhere. 658 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:42,600 [Pearce] It very well could. 659 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:45,266 Look, we know in some places, just standing out on the surface here, 660 00:29:45,266 --> 00:29:47,800 -you can just barely see the tops of doors. -[Josh] Right. 661 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:50,800 -How deep it goes? Nobody knows yet -[Josh] Right. 662 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:54,600 We've known for ages that there's a dearth of information 663 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:56,867 -about the early Nabataean world. -[Josh] Yes. 664 00:29:56,867 --> 00:30:00,600 We saw a glimpse of them at Sela, we get a glimpse of them in a text. 665 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:04,000 But it goes centuries without any real, meaningful information. 666 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,700 And then it just seems like Petra arrives out of nowhere. 667 00:30:06,700 --> 00:30:09,800 [Pearce] Absolutely. So probably we just haven't gotten deep enough yet. 668 00:30:09,800 --> 00:30:15,367 Right. That whole story of the Nabataeans who would, in time, build this treasury 669 00:30:15,367 --> 00:30:16,567 could be right under our feet. 670 00:30:16,567 --> 00:30:19,400 -[Pearce] Certainly the beginnings of it. -[Josh] Yeah. 671 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:21,900 So see everybody here this time next year? 672 00:30:21,900 --> 00:30:23,200 -[Josh] Yeah. -[Dicky] Got a deal. 673 00:30:23,200 --> 00:30:25,967 Dude. Amazing. 674 00:30:25,967 --> 00:30:28,400 -As always, Dicky, a pleasure. -[Dicky] A pleasure. 675 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:30,900 [Pearce] Glad we got you around, Bates. 676 00:30:30,900 --> 00:30:34,567 [Josh] Future excavations will have to tackle the level below our feet. 677 00:30:34,567 --> 00:30:37,367 But as for the mysterious tomb we're standing in now, 678 00:30:37,367 --> 00:30:41,000 we have to wait for the results of Dr. Kinnaird's OSL test 679 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:45,000 to confirm its age, which may shed light on the Treasury above. 680 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:48,166 While we wait, I'm left wondering 681 00:30:48,166 --> 00:30:50,367 about the most important mystery of all. 682 00:30:50,367 --> 00:30:54,767 Namely what happened to the Nabataean civilization that built Petra? 683 00:30:54,767 --> 00:30:56,433 Where did they go? 684 00:30:56,433 --> 00:31:01,300 To seek the answer, I leave Pearce Paul and stride further into the ancient city. 685 00:31:02,266 --> 00:31:05,967 While the Treasury is the most famous building at Petra, 686 00:31:05,967 --> 00:31:09,700 it's not the only one revealing the secrets of the Nabataeans. 687 00:31:09,700 --> 00:31:13,200 High up on a ridge just at the edge of town is another structure. 688 00:31:13,200 --> 00:31:16,600 One that may reveal the fate of the city's builders. 689 00:31:20,166 --> 00:31:24,500 Waiting in an epic ruin is Archeologist Matthew Vincent. 690 00:31:25,567 --> 00:31:27,367 This is something different. 691 00:31:27,367 --> 00:31:28,700 Well, we try to keep you on your toes. 692 00:31:28,700 --> 00:31:29,667 What is this place? 693 00:31:29,667 --> 00:31:31,200 Welcome to the Petra Church. 694 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:32,767 -The Petra Church? -[Matthew] Yeah. 695 00:31:32,767 --> 00:31:35,867 Okay. Now, if memory serves, the Nabataeans were not Christian. 696 00:31:35,867 --> 00:31:38,967 They were around pre-Christianity being a thing. 697 00:31:38,967 --> 00:31:41,667 Exactly, so the Nabataeans are here well before Christianity. 698 00:31:41,667 --> 00:31:44,100 Right. 699 00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:49,100 The Nabataeans were the most potent force in this region for hundreds of years, 700 00:31:49,100 --> 00:31:51,000 but nothing lasts forever. 701 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,467 In 106 AD, the growing Roman Empire annexed the Nabataeans 702 00:31:55,467 --> 00:31:58,600 in a bloodless takeover that ended their autonomy. 703 00:31:59,867 --> 00:32:02,934 And then, something spectacularly bad happened. 704 00:32:04,100 --> 00:32:07,467 A massive earthquake happens here in 363 AD. 705 00:32:07,467 --> 00:32:08,667 How massive? 706 00:32:08,667 --> 00:32:11,000 It's basically the end of the Nabataeans. 707 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:12,900 Really? The city is just destroyed? 708 00:32:12,900 --> 00:32:14,400 Totally destroyed. 709 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:18,900 [Josh] Once the Romans convert their empire to Christianity in 380 AD, 710 00:32:18,900 --> 00:32:23,200 new building projects take on a decidedly different focus. 711 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,367 So we can imagine that when they come back and they rebuild here, 712 00:32:26,367 --> 00:32:28,700 they rebuild Christian places. 713 00:32:28,700 --> 00:32:31,367 Right, all the pagan temples are tumbled down and destroyed, 714 00:32:31,367 --> 00:32:34,266 and so when Petra gets rebuilt, it's a Christian town. 715 00:32:34,266 --> 00:32:36,367 And they just build church after church after church. 716 00:32:36,367 --> 00:32:38,500 Okay, and so this one is built when? 717 00:32:38,500 --> 00:32:40,166 It started in the 5th century. 718 00:32:40,166 --> 00:32:43,100 And we have these really beautiful mosaics all over the floor. 719 00:32:43,100 --> 00:32:44,000 These are awesome. 720 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,066 [Matthew] There are some fantastic mosaics. 721 00:32:46,066 --> 00:32:47,467 And these are what? Animals? 722 00:32:47,467 --> 00:32:49,567 [Matthew] Yeah, we've got a lot of animals, 723 00:32:49,567 --> 00:32:51,467 we've got depictions of daily life as well. 724 00:32:51,467 --> 00:32:53,867 But the animals are just fantastic here. 725 00:32:53,867 --> 00:32:57,567 But you know, it's not just these mosaics that you're seeing here. 726 00:32:57,567 --> 00:32:59,266 One of the most amazing things we found 727 00:32:59,266 --> 00:33:01,266 is literally just in that corner over there. 728 00:33:01,266 --> 00:33:02,533 [Josh] And what was found there? 729 00:33:02,533 --> 00:33:06,900 The largest the cache of writing in the entire area of Petra. 730 00:33:06,900 --> 00:33:11,667 One-hundred-and-forty scrolls found in that back corner over there. 731 00:33:11,667 --> 00:33:16,367 Wow, that's amazing. Because there is virtually nothing written here, right? 732 00:33:16,367 --> 00:33:19,367 A handful of inscriptions that have been found across the entire site. 733 00:33:19,367 --> 00:33:20,667 -[Josh] And that's it? -And that's it. 734 00:33:20,667 --> 00:33:22,266 And what's on them? 735 00:33:22,266 --> 00:33:23,767 Well, that's the problem right there. 736 00:33:23,767 --> 00:33:25,266 Can you not read the language? 737 00:33:25,266 --> 00:33:26,734 Oh, no, it's all in Greek. 738 00:33:26,734 --> 00:33:28,900 Okay, right, that would have been the administrative language at the time. 739 00:33:28,900 --> 00:33:31,000 -[Matthew] Exactly. -So, the problem is what? 740 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:32,166 This entire church was destroyed 741 00:33:32,166 --> 00:33:34,900 -in the 7th century through a fire. -[Josh] Uh-huh. 742 00:33:34,900 --> 00:33:36,500 [Matthew] Those scrolls got cooked. 743 00:33:36,500 --> 00:33:38,767 -[Josh] They got toasted. -[Matthew] Yeah. 744 00:33:38,767 --> 00:33:40,400 Okay, so were they destroyed? 745 00:33:41,166 --> 00:33:43,667 A process of what's called carbonization. 746 00:33:43,667 --> 00:33:46,767 Imagine you just barbecue them. They're smoked scrolls. 747 00:33:46,767 --> 00:33:49,266 Right, they don't fall apart, but they're just kind of briquettes. 748 00:33:49,266 --> 00:33:54,166 Miraculously, though, some of the 140 scrolls survived the fire 749 00:33:54,166 --> 00:33:57,600 and were actually able to be unrolled and read. 750 00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:59,000 They're mostly legal texts. 751 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:03,867 They describe contracts, wills, inheritance, just parts of daily life. 752 00:34:03,867 --> 00:34:06,000 Which is still hugely valuable, right? 753 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:07,333 It's incredible. 754 00:34:07,333 --> 00:34:10,200 What we can understand about Petra in the 5th, 6th, 7th centuries 755 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:12,567 -is all thanks to these scrolls. -[Josh] Right. 756 00:34:12,567 --> 00:34:16,200 But many of the scrolls were too burned to be legible. 757 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:19,367 The charred texts were reduced to fragments, 758 00:34:19,367 --> 00:34:23,166 layers of papyrus fused by heat and smoke. 759 00:34:23,166 --> 00:34:25,100 If we could read more of these scrolls, 760 00:34:25,100 --> 00:34:28,400 we could really begin to understand what became of the Nabataeans, 761 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:29,667 what became of their world. 762 00:34:29,667 --> 00:34:31,467 And at this moment, we have a team 763 00:34:31,467 --> 00:34:33,900 that are actually trying to read these scrolls. 764 00:34:33,900 --> 00:34:36,467 How do you read burned scrolls? 765 00:34:36,467 --> 00:34:38,834 With some really serious technology. 766 00:34:40,667 --> 00:34:43,000 [Josh] The answer to the Nabataeans' final mystery 767 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:46,066 may lie in the remains of the scrolls from Petra. 768 00:34:46,066 --> 00:34:48,600 So I bid a fond farewell to the desert 769 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,400 and fly to where they're currently being studied. 770 00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:56,433 Six thousand miles away in, of all places, Lexington, Kentucky. 771 00:34:58,367 --> 00:35:01,467 No, really. You know, the place with the bourbon and the horses. 772 00:35:01,467 --> 00:35:04,166 It's also home to the University of Kentucky's 773 00:35:04,166 --> 00:35:06,100 state of the art EduceLab, 774 00:35:06,100 --> 00:35:08,400 which is where I meet the professor that's been leading the team 775 00:35:08,400 --> 00:35:13,367 analyzing the most damaged Petra scroll fragments, Brent Seales. 776 00:35:13,367 --> 00:35:16,166 Josh, let me introduce you to the Petra papyri. 777 00:35:16,166 --> 00:35:18,100 -[Josh] This is them? -[Brent] This is them. 778 00:35:18,100 --> 00:35:19,600 [Josh] Wow, look at that. 779 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:24,367 We have some varieties here, but here's a piece that is especially delicate. 780 00:35:24,367 --> 00:35:25,467 Take a look. 781 00:35:25,467 --> 00:35:29,266 So this is an actual fragment of papyrus from Petra. 782 00:35:29,266 --> 00:35:32,433 -This is at least 1,500 years old? -Yeah. 783 00:35:33,166 --> 00:35:34,667 Oh, my word. 784 00:35:34,667 --> 00:35:36,767 This is about as fragile as the wings of a butterfly. 785 00:35:36,767 --> 00:35:40,467 -Right, just thousands of tiny flakes. -[Brent] Thousands. 786 00:35:40,467 --> 00:35:44,667 If I saw this on the ground, I would ignore it. 787 00:35:44,667 --> 00:35:47,667 I mean, it looks like a piece of bark, almost. 788 00:35:47,667 --> 00:35:49,567 You can't really see that there's writing there. 789 00:35:49,567 --> 00:35:51,900 -It's really hard to see with the naked eye. -Yeah, not at all. 790 00:35:51,900 --> 00:35:53,200 You're telling me there's writing on that? 791 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:56,367 There's writing on almost every one of these fragments, yeah. 792 00:35:56,367 --> 00:35:59,266 [Josh] And we are lucky enough to see how Professor Seales 793 00:35:59,266 --> 00:36:01,700 is deciphering what's written on them. 794 00:36:01,700 --> 00:36:04,567 He prepares the next two fragments for analysis. 795 00:36:04,567 --> 00:36:08,800 One the size of a postage stamp, the other of a grain of rice. 796 00:36:09,667 --> 00:36:12,000 The experimental process that he's developed 797 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:15,000 begins with a visual analysis under a microscope 798 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:18,700 that's a wee bit more powerful than the ones in your high school bio lab. 799 00:36:19,667 --> 00:36:21,500 Ooh! Is that writing? 800 00:36:21,900 --> 00:36:22,634 [Brent] That's writing. 801 00:36:22,634 --> 00:36:23,867 [Josh] That's ink? Right there? 802 00:36:23,867 --> 00:36:25,333 [Brent] That is ink. 803 00:36:25,333 --> 00:36:28,166 This fragment is actually made up of multiple layers all stuck together. 804 00:36:28,166 --> 00:36:30,367 Wow, and there could be writing on all of those layers? 805 00:36:30,367 --> 00:36:31,667 [Brent] Could be writing on all of them, 806 00:36:31,667 --> 00:36:33,000 but we can only see the top ones, right? 807 00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:36,000 Right, so we're gonna need more tech than this. 808 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:37,734 [Brent] Yeah. 809 00:36:38,500 --> 00:36:42,300 [Josh] The second fragment is minuscule by comparison to the first, 810 00:36:42,300 --> 00:36:44,500 so Brent makes a minor adjustment. 811 00:36:45,767 --> 00:36:48,166 [Brent] Look at that. That's probably... 812 00:36:48,166 --> 00:36:52,467 I would think that's maybe half of a Delta if this is Greek. 813 00:36:52,467 --> 00:36:56,266 That fragment is like the size of an ant. 814 00:36:56,266 --> 00:36:59,066 And yet, there's writing on it. 815 00:36:59,066 --> 00:37:01,400 This is like the ultimate jigsaw puzzle. 816 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:02,734 It's terrifically difficult. 817 00:37:03,567 --> 00:37:06,100 [Josh] Difficult is an understatement. 818 00:37:06,100 --> 00:37:08,967 Next, Brent brings our two fragments to a different station 819 00:37:08,967 --> 00:37:12,200 for an X-ray fluorescence spectrum analysis. 820 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:15,266 This test will break down the specific elements 821 00:37:15,266 --> 00:37:17,867 used for the ink inside the fused scroll, 822 00:37:17,867 --> 00:37:20,266 which will then tell Brent how to read it. 823 00:37:20,266 --> 00:37:23,467 So we're gonna shoot X-rays of this thing. Is that right? 824 00:37:23,467 --> 00:37:24,500 That's right. 825 00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:25,567 This allows us to map composition of our sample. 826 00:37:25,567 --> 00:37:27,667 Elemental composition across a wide area. 827 00:37:27,667 --> 00:37:29,767 So should I stand back from this thing? 828 00:37:29,767 --> 00:37:32,066 No, you're safe enough out here on the other side of the steel. 829 00:37:32,066 --> 00:37:34,567 Yeah, that's what they all say, and then... 830 00:37:34,567 --> 00:37:35,567 "Hulk smash." 831 00:37:35,567 --> 00:37:36,700 Here we go. 832 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:38,734 [beeps] 833 00:37:39,567 --> 00:37:42,233 So now we're scanning across the scroll's surface. 834 00:37:44,900 --> 00:37:47,266 [Josh] In short order, the work is done. 835 00:37:47,266 --> 00:37:48,567 So our scan's complete, 836 00:37:48,567 --> 00:37:52,166 and you can see we have our map encompassing the entire fragment. 837 00:37:52,166 --> 00:37:54,600 [Josh] And the areas we previously identified as writing 838 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:57,266 are particularly revealing. 839 00:37:57,266 --> 00:38:00,400 The beautiful result there is it correlates really well with lead. 840 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:04,000 -Lead. Okay, so this ink has lead in it. -Mm-hmm. 841 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,367 And is that good news in terms of the work 842 00:38:06,367 --> 00:38:08,066 that you wanna do with these fragments? 843 00:38:08,066 --> 00:38:08,700 No. 844 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:11,367 It's great news, actually. 845 00:38:11,367 --> 00:38:13,367 -Really? -Yeah. 846 00:38:13,367 --> 00:38:15,066 Yeah, because lead is very dense. 847 00:38:15,066 --> 00:38:18,600 In fact, you'll see these X-ray machines are shielded with lead. 848 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:19,767 Right. 849 00:38:19,767 --> 00:38:23,367 So it gives you the ability to see the ink using X-ray, 850 00:38:23,367 --> 00:38:26,000 -unlike pretty much any other element. -[Josh] Wow. 851 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:27,567 I mean, it's a fantastic result. 852 00:38:27,567 --> 00:38:28,800 [Josh] Wow, okay. 853 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:31,567 Lead is the ideal ink base for this process, 854 00:38:31,567 --> 00:38:33,367 which will help us reveal the writing 855 00:38:33,367 --> 00:38:35,667 not only on the outer layers of the fragment, 856 00:38:35,667 --> 00:38:38,700 but the ones hidden beneath as well. 857 00:38:38,700 --> 00:38:41,467 The next step from here is to use X-ray 858 00:38:41,467 --> 00:38:43,000 that penetrates all the way through, 859 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:46,367 and, in fact, not just two-dimensional X-ray, but 3D X-ray. 860 00:38:46,367 --> 00:38:47,300 We call it tomography. 861 00:38:47,300 --> 00:38:48,367 -[Josh] Tomography? -Yeah. 862 00:38:48,367 --> 00:38:50,367 Okay, you got a machine for that? 863 00:38:50,367 --> 00:38:52,934 Oh yeah, we have a big machine for that. 864 00:38:57,400 --> 00:38:58,567 Josh, meet the Phoenix. 865 00:38:58,567 --> 00:39:00,600 Okay, how powerful are those X-rays? 866 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:04,367 Well, they can go through metal, rock, an engine block. 867 00:39:04,367 --> 00:39:06,367 -Me? -You, easily. 868 00:39:06,367 --> 00:39:07,567 -Anything? -Anything. 869 00:39:07,567 --> 00:39:08,667 Okay. 870 00:39:08,667 --> 00:39:11,200 The scroll fragments are placed in a special mount 871 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:13,867 to keep them rock steady as the machine works 872 00:39:13,867 --> 00:39:16,600 and then Brent secures the shielded door. 873 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:20,667 Okay, we're gonna fire the X-ray. 874 00:39:20,667 --> 00:39:22,467 [Michael] Our detector is live. 875 00:39:22,467 --> 00:39:24,900 This is a live X-ray image? 876 00:39:24,900 --> 00:39:28,800 And there's our sample holder. And our fragment is in here somewhere, yes? 877 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:31,367 Yes, the shadow you can see is sort of outlined right there. 878 00:39:31,367 --> 00:39:32,600 [Josh] Okay. 879 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:35,266 As they rotate, the samples are bombarded with X-rays 880 00:39:35,266 --> 00:39:37,767 from two powerful emitters. 881 00:39:37,767 --> 00:39:42,000 The Phoenix creates thousands of X-ray snapshots from every angle, 882 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:45,600 which will be combined to form 3D models of the scroll fragments. 883 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:48,100 If everything works as it should, 884 00:39:48,100 --> 00:39:51,000 the end result will allow us to virtually separate 885 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,900 the individual layers of papyrus, 886 00:39:53,900 --> 00:39:58,000 revealing lost writing from Petra recorded 1,500 years ago. 887 00:40:00,266 --> 00:40:02,166 [beeps] 888 00:40:03,266 --> 00:40:07,634 After a matter of minutes, we gather around a workstation to view the results. 889 00:40:08,300 --> 00:40:10,300 Okay, moment of truth. You ready? 890 00:40:10,300 --> 00:40:11,867 -Sure. -[Josh] Let's see what we got. 891 00:40:11,867 --> 00:40:13,100 Let's take a look at the model. 892 00:40:13,100 --> 00:40:14,800 Oh, look at that! 893 00:40:21,867 --> 00:40:23,467 That is incredible. 894 00:40:23,467 --> 00:40:26,233 And that's fully manipulatable? 895 00:40:26,233 --> 00:40:28,667 Yeah, so we can rotate and see it from all angles. 896 00:40:28,667 --> 00:40:30,166 [Josh] That's insane. 897 00:40:30,166 --> 00:40:33,467 Professor Brent Seales of the University of Kentucky has just performed 898 00:40:33,467 --> 00:40:35,967 a state of the art scan of rare fragments 899 00:40:35,967 --> 00:40:40,166 from a charred scroll from the ancient city of Petra. 900 00:40:40,166 --> 00:40:44,000 We're hoping his new technique will allow us to virtually peel apart 901 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:46,600 the fragment's layers for the first time. 902 00:40:47,367 --> 00:40:49,266 So, yeah, you can see the fibers. 903 00:40:49,266 --> 00:40:53,166 If I circle around, we come to the other side. 904 00:40:53,166 --> 00:40:55,667 You can see a unique pattern on the other side. 905 00:40:55,667 --> 00:40:58,800 Right. And this here, is this ink? 906 00:40:59,166 --> 00:41:00,367 [Brent] Yeah, that's ink. 907 00:41:00,367 --> 00:41:02,066 -[Josh] This is writing right here? -That's writing. 908 00:41:02,066 --> 00:41:04,166 [Josh] That's really wild. 909 00:41:04,166 --> 00:41:06,266 So now if we look at the smaller fragment, 910 00:41:06,266 --> 00:41:09,266 which we can peel back and look at the inner layers... 911 00:41:09,266 --> 00:41:10,200 [Josh] Right. 912 00:41:10,200 --> 00:41:12,867 The top layer matches exactly what we saw 913 00:41:12,867 --> 00:41:15,400 in the optical microscope and in the XRF. 914 00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:19,667 Right, we have this kind of, you know, part of a letter here maybe. 915 00:41:19,667 --> 00:41:23,166 -Peel that away and you can see the other piece-- -[Josh] That's underneath it? 916 00:41:23,166 --> 00:41:25,333 [Brent] That's underneath, that's a hidden layer, yeah. 917 00:41:25,333 --> 00:41:28,266 -That's a hidden layer with ink that's not visible? -That's right. 918 00:41:28,266 --> 00:41:30,367 -To the naked eye? -Yeah. 919 00:41:30,367 --> 00:41:36,467 So nobody has laid eyes on this part of this fragment or that ink, that writing, 920 00:41:36,467 --> 00:41:37,567 in over a millennium. 921 00:41:37,567 --> 00:41:39,000 It would be impossible. 922 00:41:40,367 --> 00:41:42,367 [Josh] This is a huge win. 923 00:41:42,367 --> 00:41:45,166 We've been able to separate the layers of a scroll 924 00:41:45,166 --> 00:41:47,934 that were literally fused together by fire 925 00:41:47,934 --> 00:41:51,400 and read the ink on multiple layers. 926 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:53,166 We are the first people to look at it right now. 927 00:41:53,166 --> 00:41:55,000 That's time travel right there. 928 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:58,367 It is, and if you think about putting together an entire row of text 929 00:41:58,367 --> 00:41:59,567 and then an entire page, 930 00:41:59,567 --> 00:42:01,934 we will be the first people to read that. 931 00:42:01,934 --> 00:42:05,333 [Josh] The fragments we've deciphered here are consistent with others 932 00:42:05,333 --> 00:42:08,100 that Brent has run through this new process. 933 00:42:08,100 --> 00:42:10,667 The results can already help us learn more 934 00:42:10,667 --> 00:42:12,467 about the fate of the Nabataeans 935 00:42:12,467 --> 00:42:16,667 after being absorbed by the Roman and then Byzantine Empire. 936 00:42:16,667 --> 00:42:19,867 So let's talk about what's on these fragments. What are we seeing here? 937 00:42:19,867 --> 00:42:23,467 This is Greek. It's the official language of the Byzantine Empire. 938 00:42:23,467 --> 00:42:25,934 It's what they were using, this is not unexpected. 939 00:42:25,934 --> 00:42:31,166 What is surprising is that there are Greek translations Of Arabic and Aramaic names 940 00:42:31,166 --> 00:42:33,667 in that Greek-written language. 941 00:42:33,667 --> 00:42:38,667 [Josh] This discovery means that the Nabataean language, a distinct dialect of Aramaic, 942 00:42:38,667 --> 00:42:41,066 was still in use hundreds of years 943 00:42:41,066 --> 00:42:43,867 after the fall of the Nabataean kingdom. 944 00:42:43,867 --> 00:42:47,100 So even though what we're seeing in these fragments is Greek, 945 00:42:47,100 --> 00:42:50,667 they are clearly translating these other languages 946 00:42:50,667 --> 00:42:54,367 that are presumably then being used still in this place. 947 00:42:54,367 --> 00:42:56,367 That's right, they haven't left those languages behind. 948 00:42:56,367 --> 00:42:58,767 -They've translated those names into Greek. -Right. 949 00:42:58,767 --> 00:43:01,834 And so you can see the influence of all three of those languages. 950 00:43:01,834 --> 00:43:03,467 Greek, Aramaic, and Arabic. 951 00:43:03,467 --> 00:43:06,100 [Josh] Far from being crushed by their conquerors, 952 00:43:06,100 --> 00:43:11,367 Nabataean language and culture appear to have endured later into history. 953 00:43:11,367 --> 00:43:12,500 We often ask this question, 954 00:43:12,500 --> 00:43:15,066 "What happened to the Nabataeans? Where did they go?" 955 00:43:15,066 --> 00:43:18,166 But it seems like maybe they haven't gone anywhere, 956 00:43:18,166 --> 00:43:21,734 they're just part of the new culture. 957 00:43:21,734 --> 00:43:23,967 [Brent] Yes, what tells the story is the language. 958 00:43:23,967 --> 00:43:26,500 It's the crossroads, and you can see it in the language. 959 00:43:26,500 --> 00:43:28,934 Right, we're seeing the people themselves in this writing. 960 00:43:28,934 --> 00:43:30,200 That's right. 961 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:34,467 And the Nabataeans and their language is still a part of that. 962 00:43:34,667 --> 00:43:36,166 Yep, absolutely. 963 00:43:36,166 --> 00:43:38,367 [Josh] And they remain with us today. 964 00:43:38,367 --> 00:43:41,667 Nabataean Aramaic developed into modern Arabic, 965 00:43:41,667 --> 00:43:45,000 which is not only spoken by 400 million people, 966 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:49,133 but produced the system of numbers that you and I still use today. 967 00:43:49,133 --> 00:43:51,767 So every time you count to... well, anything, 968 00:43:51,767 --> 00:43:54,000 we have the Nabataeans to thank for it. 969 00:43:54,467 --> 00:43:55,767 The ink doesn't lie? 970 00:43:55,767 --> 00:43:57,166 It does not. 971 00:44:01,867 --> 00:44:03,500 [Josh] At their height, the Nabataeans flourished 972 00:44:03,500 --> 00:44:06,767 because of their skills at survival. 973 00:44:06,767 --> 00:44:10,967 They were, after all, a people able to turn the desert green. 974 00:44:10,967 --> 00:44:13,967 Now, after examining these scroll fragments from Petra, 975 00:44:13,967 --> 00:44:19,033 we see evidence that the Nabataeans' culture was just as resilient. 976 00:44:19,033 --> 00:44:23,734 Even today, their language, their mastery of the desert, and their traditions 977 00:44:23,734 --> 00:44:27,800 can be seen in the Bedouins that still call Petra home. 978 00:44:28,767 --> 00:44:30,467 As for the city's original residents, 979 00:44:30,467 --> 00:44:37,000 we now have the results of Dr. Kinnaird's optically stimulated luminescence test. 980 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:40,467 He was able to confirm that the burial under the Treasury 981 00:44:40,467 --> 00:44:44,467 was likely from the first half of the 1st century BC. 982 00:44:44,467 --> 00:44:49,900 We also now have results on the pottery which is dated to the exact same time. 983 00:44:51,767 --> 00:44:56,066 This means the Treasury above must have been built after this time period, 984 00:44:56,066 --> 00:45:02,333 likely coinciding with the reign of the powerful Nabataean king, Aretas IV. 985 00:45:02,333 --> 00:45:07,066 This is the strongest evidence yet of the Treasury's true age. 986 00:45:07,066 --> 00:45:09,033 And there's more... 987 00:45:10,166 --> 00:45:14,867 Surveys of the tomb show that it is perfectly aligned with the entrance to the Siq. 988 00:45:14,867 --> 00:45:19,567 This is a clear indication that our tomb was built for an important family. 989 00:45:19,567 --> 00:45:22,000 And quite possibly, a royal one. 990 00:45:23,567 --> 00:45:27,467 This points to one distinct possibility for the Treasury's purpose. 991 00:45:27,467 --> 00:45:32,100 As the lavish final resting place of King Aretas IV. 992 00:45:32,100 --> 00:45:33,867 Two thousand years later, though, 993 00:45:33,867 --> 00:45:36,467 it is a monument not to a single man, 994 00:45:36,467 --> 00:45:39,000 but to an entire lost civilization, 995 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:43,033 which, it turns out, isn't so lost after all. 996 00:45:43,033 --> 00:45:46,400 So if you make your way to Petra, and you should, 997 00:45:46,400 --> 00:45:50,233 be sure to look up at the stunning rock-carved ruins, 998 00:45:50,233 --> 00:45:53,967 but also down because just beneath your feet, 999 00:45:53,967 --> 00:45:59,000 more answers and more wonders are just waiting to be found.