Secret tomb discovered below ‘Indiana Jones’ filming site — with a familiar-looking chalice

Secret tombs apparently weren’t just part of the movie set on “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

Archeologist Josh Gates revealed in the season premiere of Discovery Channel’s “Expeditions Unknown” on Oct. 9 that a joint Jordanian and American team discovered a long-buried tomb at the historic site where the 1989 blockbuster movie was filmed, according to a news release.

The site, known as “The Treasury” in Petra, Jordan, served as the home of the Holy Grail in the movie about the race against the Nazis to secure the mythological cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper.

In the film, the cup grants anyone who drinks from it everlasting life, as long as they don’t remove it past the seal of the tomb.

The Nabatean Kingdom carved a city into the walls of a canyon in the desert thousands of years ago, with the Treasury structure in the middle.

Since serving as the iconic site in the hit film starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, the Treasury has become a tourist destination that attracts a million visitors a year.

A tomb of 12 skeletons was discovered in the 2,000-year-old structure after a remote sensing scan prompted the crew to begin digging beneath the floor. The project had the permission of the Jordanian government, according to the news release.

The team was led by Professor Paul Creasman, the executive director of the American Center of Research.

“We were absolutely stunned by the revelation of this hidden chamber,” Gates said in the release. “Since nearly all of the tombs at Petra have been found empty, this is perhaps the most significant tomb ever found at Petra and a discovery of historic proportions.

“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.” 

The Treasury is believed to have been a mausoleum used for funerals — rather than as a treasury, as previously thought, according to the website for the landmark.

Three Nabatean tombs dating back to the first century BC were also discovered in 2003 beneath the Treasury, according to the site.

The recent discovery also had an eerie connection to “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

One of the skeletons was found clutching a ceramic vessel resembling the famous cup from the movie.

“When we spotted what looked like a chalice, all of us just froze,” Gates said.

“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.”

The vessel was determined to be part of a broken jug from the first century BC, according to the release.