Spanning multiple decades, Indiana Jones has seen many adventures all over the world. Indiana Jones has raided temples, battled Nazis, discovered aliens, and discovered some pretty biblical and powerful artifacts. As a renowned and rugged archaeologist, Indiana Jones has discovered plenty of powerful artifacts to keep them out of the hands of Nazis and other evil-doers.
For Indiana Jones, these artifacts belong in museums, held safely for the public to see and marvel at the ancient culture. However, some artifacts that Indiana Jones has found during his adventures are too powerful for museums. These artifacts should be kept under lock and key for the safety of mankind.
This article contains spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny!
9 Cross of Coronado
The Cross of Coronado doesn’t have any actual power, other than its biblical importance. The Cross of Coronado was first seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in which Indy discovers it as a teenager. This young Indiana Jones gets his first taste of archeology and righteousness, as he battles to try and save the artifact and place it within a museum. However, as a young boy, he loses and doesn’t see it again until he is much older.
Finally, after many attempts, Indiana Jones claims the first artifact that escaped him, and he helps Marcus Brody place it in the Spanish collection of his museum. This fictional artifact for the Indiana Jones movie is made of metal, so as a blunt weapon, it could cause some damage. However, it is just a cross of religious importance, so it doesn’t hold any power outside of its religious value.
8 Headpiece To The Staff Of Ra
What may seem like just a normal bronze medallion, the Headpiece of the Staff of Ra holds great importance over power. With this artifact placed onto the Staff of Ra, the treasure hunter with the brains to go forward can use this piece to discover the location of the Well of the Souls, which holds the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant.
Although the Headpiece to the Staff of Ra is just a minor artifact in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, it harbors the power to find the location of the true most powerful artifact hidden in Egypt. The Staff and the Headpiece don’t hold any world-ending power, but they are greatly important to the Ark, and it would probably hurt to be hit on the head by the medallion.
7 Lance Of Longinus
In the opening of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, a de-aged Harrison Ford appears as Indiana Jones. In this epic return to action and spectacle, Indiana Jones battles Nazis for the Lance of Longinus. This ancient biblical artifact was the Holy Lance, the spear that was described as the only weapon to pierce Jesus Christ himself, and to take his blood.
However, as Indy finds out later, the Lance of Longinus is a fake. This artifact is not that powerful, but perhaps the real one, if it is out there, is. The Lance of Longinus that Indy and the Nazis discover may be a fake, but it still has some power as a knife or a doorstopper.
6 Sankara Stones
As Indy finds himself stranded in India in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, he discovers a small and dying village in need of help. This village holds the Sankara Stones in the highest regard, and for good reason. The Sankara Stones are aspects of Shiva, the Hindu god. Although the Sankara Stones may be extremely valuable monetarily, their power is even better.
The Sankara Stones represent fertility, and they provided the village of Mayapore with happiness, peace, and prosperity. However, the Sankara Stones were stolen, and Indy was up to the task of recovering them from Mola Ram, who thought the stones could help him rule the world. Audiences never get to see the Sankara Stones have world-ruling power, but the growth of life around Mayapore may be an indication.
5 Crystal Skull Of Akator
Indiana Jones has conquered the biblical, but in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, he seeks to conquer the sci-fi elements of aliens and saucer men. The Crystal Skull of Akator is an artifact that can drive people insane, as seen by what it did to Harold Oxley. The Crystal Skull speaks to whoever stares at it long enough, and the Soviets seek to use it for psychic warfare.
However, the true power of the Crystal Skull of Akator comes from the fact that it can be reunited with its crystal skeleton in the Tomb of Akator, thus bringing the alien back to life, and merging the thirteen crystal aliens into one interdimensional being. The Crystal Skull of Akator unlocks immeasurable power in the form of alien life, and the granting of one wish. These very wishes from Irina Spalko caused her head to explode with the knowledge she desired of everything.
4 False Grail
The Grail Knight protects the Holy Grail, the cup of Jesus Christ. For centuries, this knight has waited for someone to choose wisely, and to witness the power of the Holy Grail. However, choosing poorly also harbors great power, but not for its victim. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Walter Donovan drinks from a golden cup, believing it to be perfect for the King of Kings, it is seen as his undoing.
Drinking from the wrong Grail cup will see the victim age, decomposing whilst still alive. The sight is horrifying as the victim is turned to dust whilst experiencing every agonizing part of the aging process in seconds. This could be weaponized to age and kill enemies through torturous means if the temple wasn’t destroyed.
3 Archimedes’ Dial
The Antikythera, better known as Archimedes’ Dial, is an ancient artifact built by the mathematician Archimedes in 213 BC. This powerful artifact can do something that the others cannot: take its wielder back through the reaches of time. The Nazis seek to use Archimedes’ Dial to alter the course of history and help the Nazis win World War 2. However, there is a catch with this artifact from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
The Dial of Destiny is capable of locating fissures in time, like a time compass. However, the Antikythera can’t just send its wielder anywhere. The person that wields the dial must be in the right place at the right time, where they will be sent to 213 BC to help Archimides in Sicily fend off the Roman Empire from invading. This artifact is intensely powerful for the fact that its wielder can alter history, but it will forever be trapped in 213 BC. This means that it cannot be used to change the course of World War 2 or to help Indy bring his son back.
2 Holy Grail
The cup of a carpenter, and integral to the story of Jesus Christ, the Holy Grail was an artifact with supernatural powers to grant immortality and health. Although the Holy Grail may not seem like anything special, the power of its cup can heal all injuries, fatal or otherwise. The Grail also grants its drinker eternal life and youth.
However, even though the Holy Grail can essentially heal all ailments of the human condition, it has one drawback in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Holy Grail cannot leave its resting place, and if it is taken beyond the boundaries of the Temple of the Holy Grail, the entire temple will be destroyed, showing just how much power is within this humble cup.
1 Ark Of The Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant harbors immeasurable power. Not only is it a gold and valuable artifact, but what’s inside is horrifying and powerful. When the Ark is opened, ghostly apparitions shriek and emerge to protect what’s left of the Ten Commandments inside. Those that look upon these ghosts and the opening of the Ark evoke the wrath of God. Powerful currents of electricity shoot through Nazis, and faces melt off before their very eyes. It’s a horrifying death, and the skies of the Heavens open, sucking in the death until the Ark seals itself shut.
The Ark is so powerful that its power cannot be used by any government, even in desperate measures. At the end of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, the United States government took the Ark of the Covenant, and will be assessed by “top men”. However, as audiences later find out, the Ark was not studied or assessed at all and was kept locked away in a box in a top-secret warehouse. The true power of the Ark of the Covenant could unleash devastation on the world, so it’s best to keep this box, boxed.