X Never, Ever Marks the SpotRankings, theories, behind-the-scenes stories, and fun facts about the adventures of Indiana Jones, the archaeologist who can find anything—except the inner-strength to conquer his own fear of snakes.
Updated February 1, 2021 6.1K votes 849 voters 49.0K views
Over 800 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of All The Artifacts Indiana Jones Has Recovered
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Vote up the artifacts you think are the most historically important.
With Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harrison Ford helped birth one of Hollywood's most beloved characters. Even if Indiana Jones is a horrible archeologist (technically speaking), he never fails to get the job done, and he seems to always return home with some fantastic treasure.
In an eternal quest to locate artifacts that "belong in a museum," Indy travels all over the world, fights off villainous cult leaders, falls in love (several times), and reconnects with his studious, scholarly father, who's played by Sean Connery. Over the course of four films and three decades, he's recovered numerous artifacts, namely the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Crystal Skull, and the Cross of Coronado. But he's found plenty of other cool treasures, too, and his lesser discoveries are still pretty remarkable by real-life standards.
In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones recovers the Ark of the Covenant, a chest that - according to ancient Hebrews - carries the original Ten Commandments. Jones fights to recover the Ark of the Covenant before his enemies do, as he fears they'll use its immense powers to conquer the world.
At one point, museum curator Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) describes the arc, saying, "The Bible speaks of the Ark leveling mountains and laying waste to entire regions. An army which carries the Ark before it is invincible."
After seeing Donovan (Julian Glover) choose the False Grail, Indiana Jones chooses the most humble chalice he can find. Thankfully, the third Indiana Jones film attests the Holy Grail is really the cup of a humble carpenter. The Grail provides powers such as eternal life and bodily healing, which Jones uses to heal his father, Henry (Sean Connery). Eternal life, however, only persists until the drinker crosses the Great Seal of the Temple.
The Holy Grail is believed to be the cup Jesus used during the Last Supper and the cup that caught his blood during his end.
In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones tracks down Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) who is in possession of the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra, a crucial key to the search for the Ark of the Covenant. While his enemies dig in the wrong location, Jones is able to locate the Well of Souls, attach the Headpiece of the Staff of Ra, and locate the Ark's true burial site. Of course, his adversaries find him and discover the truth.
According to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, three brothers - all knights of the First Crusade - left markers that reveal the location of the Holy Grail, one of which is the Grail Tablet. This marker is made of sandstone and is missing its top section.
[Whoever] drinks the water I shall give him, says the Lord, will have a spring inside him welling up for eternal life. Let them bring me to your holy mountain in the place where you dwell. Across the desert and through the mountains to the Canyon of the Crescent Moon, to the temple where the cup that holds the blood of Jesus Christ resides forever.
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a young Indiana Jones attempts to thwart grave robbers from taking the Cross of Coronado, a golden, jewel-encrusted crucifix named after Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, a Spanish explorer. It is thought to feature pieces of the original cross from which Jesus hung.
Jones believes the artifact belongs in a museum and takes the Cross of Coronado from the robbers, but he loses it to a corrupt sheriff. As an adult, Jones reclaims the Cross of Coronado and gives it to his friend Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott) so it can join the Spanish collection at the museum.
According to a legend in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the Knights of the First Crusade left markers describing the final location of the Holy Grail. The second marker is Sir Richard's shield, buried with his body during the 12th century. The shield's upper-right section is a perfect match to the Grail Tablet. Indiana Jones and Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody) make a wax copy of the shield while in the catacombs of Venice using notes from Jones's father, Henry Jones.
They eventually have to abandon the shield due to a fire, so the copy of the text is the only surviving remnant of Richard's shield.
