Stephen Spielberg's beloved action-adventure film Raiders of the Lost Ark took inspiration from the iconic serials of the 30s and 40s. The groundbreaking starting point of the ongoing adventure of Indiana Jones saw the archeologist fight a team of Nazis for a powerful piece of history. Spielberg borrowed his format from the media he loved as a kid and his main magic item from The Bible.
Over the course of his career, Indy has hunted down a Hindu sacred stone, the Holy Grail, and an alien's head, among other things. Like the old serials, Spielberg preferred to pull real artifacts from the history books, rather than make up his own mystical merchandise.
What is the Ark of the Covenant?
The Ark of the Covenant, sometimes called the Ark of God, is a wooden chest gilded with gold that is said to hold the tablets on which Moses wrote the Ten Commandments. Anyone who'd like to build their own Ark at home will be pleased to know that Exodus 25 offers an extremely detailed set of instructions. It's made of acacia wood and gilded entirely in gold. Estimates place it around 52×31×31 inches. The lid, known as the "mercy seat," is decorated with a pair of golden cherubim that act as decorative corners. The space between their wings will evidently be where God will appear. God also insisted the Ark be covered in a veil to keep it safe. After Moses put the Ark together, it went on a long and fantastical journey from one hand to another over the following centuries.
Why is the Ark Religiously Significant?
The answer to this one should be fairly obvious. Its construction was ordered by God, its origin is biblical, and its contents are among the most important Abrahamic relics of all time. After the construction of the Ark, it becomes one of the key items of the Israelites. Moses and his people carry the Ark as they wander through the desert for 40 years. It's then a key part of the Battle of Jericho, an aspect of the ritual that brings down the city's walls. The Israelites treated the Ark as a direct conduit to God, wielding it whenever they need sage wisdom. It's a mobile place of worship that allows its user to know the will of the creator. Over the years, those who don't have the right to claim it suffers mightily for trying.
In Samuel, the Ark is captured by the Philistines. After a terrible defeat, the Israelites bring their secret weapon to the next battle. They lose again, with even more casualties among their number. The Philistines take the Ark, demoralizing the Israelites. The first priest who heard the news died of shock. Unfortunately for the Philistines, God was willing to let them slay 30,000 of his chosen people but furious that they kept his blessed box. God sent a plague of tumors and a massive swarm of rats to punish the Philistines. This was probably just the ongoing bubonic plague, but it works for the narrative. The Philistines wisely hand the Ark back over to the Israelites. During the transfer, some folks look into the box, so God slays 70 of them in an instant. That aspect of the story should be familiar to fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
What Does the Ark Do in the Movie?
The screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark was written by Lawrence Kasdan, but the story came from George Lucas and Phillip Kaufman. Kaufman suggested the Ark of the Covenant as the central relic for an adventure movie. By most accounts, the Ark sits in The Chapel of the Tablet in Axum, Ethiopia, but the film imagines it resting in Egypt. Indiana Jones is approached by US Army intelligence and tasked with finding the Ark before the Nazis get their hands on it. The script imagines an item called the Staff of Ra that helps the archeologist find the Ark. Once the Nazis do get their hands on the relic, they open it to find it contains only sand. As in the Bible, God strikes down all those who dared look inside the Ark. It's hard to know whether anyone could've gained any positive results from the Ark, but Indy wisely chooses not to take any chances.
The Ark of the Covenant is an artifact of great cultural significance to the people of Israel and great religious significance to people of the Jewish and Christian faiths. Thanks to Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's also a solid shorthand for a magical item that instantly kills anyone who sees it. Spielberg, Kasdan, Lucas, and Kaufman borrowed a bit of the good book to add some mysticism to their fun action-adventure blockbuster. Though many people wouldn't have heard of the Ark before its big-screen debut, its history goes back much farther than 1981.