The Artifacts of Indiana Jones

Henry Jones, Jr. is a professor of Archeology at Marshall College in Connecticut. As an archaeologist himself, Henry, who goes by the name "Indiana Jones", has gone on many adventures through exotic lands in attempts to recover ancient artifacts of historical significance. In this blog post, we will take a look at a few of the more well known artifacts Indy has chased after, along with a few that are not so well known. We will start with two of the pieces he chases in the film Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom.


The Peacocks Eye

In Indy lore, the Peacock's Eye was a diamond once supposedly owned by Alexander the Great. He had it mounted, along with another large diamond, as the two eyes to a large golden peacock statue. After Alexander's death, one diamond was taken by Indian princes who cut it apart, while the other diamond was lost to history, though it had been rediscovered and clues were left to its whereabouts.

The real Peacock's Eye is also known as "The Koh-i-Noor Diamond." In 1600, this diamond belonged to the Mughal Dynasty. It was believed that whomever owned this gem would rule the world. It was set into the Peacock Throne at the Palace of Delhi (in India), as the peacock's eye.

When Persia's Nadir Shah invaded India, in 1739, he tried to find the prized diamond, but it was no longer in the eye of the peacock. It seems that Mohammed Shah, the defeated Mongol ruler, had removed it and hidden it in his turban. At a dinner, as was an ancient Asian custom, the Shah asked Mohammed to trade turbans. Of course, Mohammed Shah was destined to honor this request as per custom. When Nadir Shah removed the turban, before retiring to bed, the Koh-i-Noor (meaning "Mountain of Light") tumbled to the floor. It was thus named because of the large, fiery stars it made in the candlelight.

This stone then made its way to England in 1850. It was presented to Queen Victoria. However, by this time, the gem had a reputation of bringing misfortune to all its male owners. Queen Victoria knew of the diamond's history and made a strong request in her will warning that the crown should only be worn by the male ruler's queens. The Koh-i-Noor was set only in the crowns of the Queen Alexandria, Queen Mary and finally in the crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 1936.


The Sankara Stones

In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the Sankara Stones were five stones given to Sankara by the Hindu god Shiva, along with the message that he should go forth and battle evil with them. One of these stones ended up in a small village called Mayapore located on the outskirts of India. This particular stone, Shiva Linga, was eventually stolen by the evil Thuggee cult.

In reality, the Sankara Stones are a type of Lingam (also, Linga, Shiva linga Sanskrit लिङ्गं liṅgaṃ, meaning "mark," or "sign,"), and are a symbol for the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. While its origins are debated, the use of this symbol for worship is an ancient tradition in India extending back at least to the early Indus Valley civilization.


The Chachapoyan Fertility Idol

The Chachapoyan Fertility Idol was a solid gold statue, six inches tall, representing the Chachapoyan goddess of fertility. The idol was hidden by the tribe's priests in a temple deep within the jungles of Peru. Braving the temple's deadly traps to stare into the idol's eyes became a rite of passage for young Chachapoyan warriors.

The fictional idol is steeped in reality as many groups and tribes worship inanimate objects in the hopes that the deity these objects represent will grant blessings to those who will worship it.


The Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is described in the Bible as a sacred container, wherein rested the Tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments as well as other sacred Israelite pieces. According to the Biblical account, the Ark was built at the command of God, in accord with Moses' prophetic vision on Mount Sinai (Exodus 25:9-10). God communicated with Moses "from between the two cherubim" on the Ark's cover (Exodus 25:22). The Ark and its sanctuary were "the beauty of Israel" (Lamentations 2:1). Rashi and some Midrashim suggest that there were two arks - a temporary one made by Moses, and a later one made by Bezalel.

The Biblical account relates that during the trip of the Israelites, the Ark was carried by the priests ~2,000 cubits (Numbers 35:5; Joshua 4:5) in advance of the people and their army or host (Num. 4:5-6; 10:33-36; Psalms 68:1; 132:8). When the Ark was borne by priests into the bed of the Jordan, the river was separated, opening a pathway for the whole of the host to pass over (Josh. 3:15-16; 4:7-18). The Ark was borne in a seven-day procession around the wall of Jericho by seven priests sounding seven trumpets of rams' horns, the city taken with a shout (Josh. 6:4-20). When carried, the Ark was always wrapped in a veil, in tachash skins (the identity of this animal is uncertain), and a blue cloth, and was carefully concealed, even from the eyes of the Levites who carried it.

When Israel's King Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, he caused her to dwell in a house outside Zion, as Zion was consecrated because of its containing the Ark (2 Chron. 8:11). King Josiah had the Ark put into the Temple (2 Chron. 35:3), whence it appears to have again been removed by one of his successors.

When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and plundered the temple, the Ark entered the domain of legend. Many historians suppose that the ark was probably taken away by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed. The absence of the ark from the Second Temple was acknowledged. The Ark is finally re-established to the Temple in vision: "Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the Ark of his Covenant" (Rev. 11:19 NIV).


The Cross of Coranado

The Cross of Coronado was a jewel-encrusted golden crucifix with a chain; named for Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. It is believed to contain a piece of the cross Jesus was crucified on.

It was given to Coronado in 1520 by the Spanish conquistador, Hernando Cortez. At some point it was buried alongside other artifacts in a cave in what would later become Utah.



The Holy Grail

According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. The connection of Joseph of Arimathea with the Grail legend dates from Robert de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie (late 12th century) in which Joseph receives the Grail from an apparition of Jesus and sends it with his followers to Great Britain; building upon this theme, later writers recounted how Joseph used the Grail to catch Christ's blood while interring him and that in Britain he founded a line of guardians to keep it safe. The quest for the Holy Grail makes up an important segment of the Arthurian cycle, appearing first in works by Chrétien de Troyes. The legend may combine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special powers.

Belief in the Grail and interest in its potential whereabouts has never ceased. Ownership has been attributed to various groups (including the Knights Templar, probably because they were at the peak of their influence around the time that Grail stories started circulating in the 12th and 13th centuries).

There are cups claimed to be the Grail in several churches, for instance the Saint Mary of Valencia Cathedral, which contains an artifact, the Holy Chalice, supposedly taken by Saint Peter to Rome in the first century, and then to Huesca in Spain by Saint Lawrence in the 3rd century.

As we close this out let me thank Wikipedia, theraider.net, and The Indiana Jones Wiki for help in my research. I leave you now preparing to see the next adventure of Henry Walton Jones, Jr. in about 7 hours. The gaps will be filled in later. Until then, follow me, I know the way...HeYah!