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Hiding in plain sight: Massive monument discovered at Petra by modern day Indiana Jones
Satellite imagery has revealed a monumental structure dating back more than 2,000 years at the World Heritage site of Petra in Jordan.
Archaeologists Christopher Tuttle and Sarah Parcak used high-resolution satellite imagery and aerial drone photography, followed by ground surveys, to locate and document the structure, according to a study published in the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research.
"This monumental platform has no parallels at Petra or in its hinterlands at present," the researchers wrote, noting that the structure is only half a mile away from the city centre but "hidden" and hard to reach.
The structure consists of a massive platform, measuring 184x161ft (55x50m), roughly the size of two Olympic swimming pools side by side, with an interior platform that was originally paved with flagstones. In the middle of the smaller platform sits a 28ft square building facing a row of columns and a staircase to the east.
Pottery recovered from the site dates to about 150BC, and the platform’s design has no parallels to any other structure in the ancient city, the archaeologists say in the paper.
It most likely had a ceremonial function, which may make it the second largest elevated, dedicated display area yet known in Petra after the Monastery.
The aerial imagery shows that the structure was buried under the sands of Petra south of the centre of the ancient city, of which one of the prime landmarks is the carved, colonnaded wonder Al Khazneh (The Treasury).
Sarah Parcak, who has labelled herself a "space archaeologist", believes satellites imagery and new technology will lead to "some pretty amazing discoveries over the next year".
The site gained particular fame after being featured in a climactic scene of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the ancient Nabataean city's iconic buildings carved into the red sandstone each year.
Since the Syrian civil war began, however, the number of visitors has dropped drastically, so much so that the Jordanian government decided to waive the 40 dinar (£37) visa fee in 2015 in an attempt to reignite tourism.
"Petra represents one of the most well-known and surveyed archaeological parks in the world," the abstract of the study reads.
"Yet significant structures within range of its central city remain to be discovered."