5 Things The Dial Of Destiny Could Be in 'Indiana Jones 5'

TV & Film

Mar 10

The Ark of the Covenant was lost for millennia until Indiana Jones’ crafty research and sleuthing found it in an ancient dig in Egypt, melted the faces and consumed the souls of those who looked upon its contents. The Holy Grail granted everlasting life to those who drank from it, as long as they never crossed the seal. Many artifacts, based on real-world myths and legends, found by the wayward archeologist have had mystical, frightening powers.

Ancient civilizations left behind much that we are still coming to understand. Stonehenge. The pyramids. The Olmec Heads. Archaeologists have long studied and written theories about the world of our ancestors, however, sometimes they leave behind smaller, more obscure objects that puzzle us and intrigue us even more. Indiana Jones didn’t try to find large things. he searched for the smaller, more bizarre mythological objects.

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Could this be the Dial of Destiny?
Image Source: Vanity Fair

But what is the Dial of Destiny, the titular object of the next, and likely last, Indiana Jones? Given the word “dial” in the name, it may be something that rotates or turns and given Indy’s age by the events of the film, perhaps it has to do with turning back time, to fix his destiny.

5. Antikythera Mechanism

The most prominent theory as to what the Dial of Destiny could be is the Antikythera Mechanism. However, it likely would be something similar, as the actual Antikythera Mechanism was discovered in a shipwreck in 1901. It was heavily corroded and dilapidated over the time it spent beneath the waves, so the one in the movie would have to be something different. The reasoning put forth for the Dial being something like the Mechanism is that there is a scene underwater in the trailer, could this be an echo of the actual Mechanism’s discovery? And there’s a quick shot of a device that looks similar to the Antikythera Mechanism, or what remains of it. It’s hypothesized that it was a “computer” of sorts to predict celestial events, so maybe that is the angle their using to mystify it.

4. Rota Fortuna

Another idea posited on the internet is a Rota Fortuna, or Wheel of Fortune. It’s often depicted in illustrations and paintings, and no physical object seems to have been identified, it is a device depicted as being spun and affecting people’s destinies. Since the object is often depicted artistically, and there seem to be mythological beings in the drawings as well, it’s entirely likely that it’s more of a metaphor than an actual object. But it could physically exist in Indiana Jones’ universe.

3. Roman Dodecahedrons

Roman Dodecahedrons
Image Source: History Defined

There’s also the possibility of it being one of the Roman Dodecahedrons. Experts can’t seem to figure out what they were meant for. Well over 100 have been found across Europe. They contain little knobs at each of the angles. Perhaps one of these could be the focus of the word “dial” and perhaps the one the movie is particularly focusing on has knobs that need to be turned in particular combinations? It’s an enticing proposition, as there doesn’t seem to be any sort of paper trail on these objects. Their unknown origin and use make them an opportunity for the mysterious. However, it contradicts the typical Indiana Jones story of the object of desire having a legend behind it.

2. Dropa Stones

Not one of the fabled Dropa Stones, but likely the inspiration: A bi disk
Image Source: How Stuff Works

What about the Dropa Stones? These discs are surrounded by mystery, controversy, and secrecy. They were reportedly found in a cave system in China. Descriptions of them claim they look like phonograph discs. According to the legend, the scientists that found them discovered hieroglyphs on them, and after some time deciphering them, they claim it placed the discs at 12,000 years old and told a story of spaceships that crashed into mountains. The Russians claim some of them were shipped to them for study and they figured out they had properties that made them electrical conductors and hummed. Then, an Austrian engineer supposedly saw them and took pictures of them. But now? No one has seen them since then, there’s no record of the scientist who discovered them, and others argue they are actually bi discs. Bi discs are jade discs around 5,000 years old and often decorated with grooves. Their shape and legend are the perfect scapegoat for the object in the movie.

1. Boxwood Carvings

One of the surviving Boxwood Carvings.
Image Source: CNN

Finally, there’s one more obscure object out there that could be the focus of the Dial of Destiny. There is a collection of carved pieces of wood, known as the Boxwood Carvings, that were prevalent collector items in the 16th century. What’s so mysterious about them? They’re incredibly detailed for being so small, suggesting decades of work, and they are so small they need magnifying glasses to see them. It’s also unsure as to who the maker of them was since they are rather homogeneous in style. Some suggest they can be attributed to Adam Dircksz, but it seems a loose connection. Many are small and circular, which could be made into something of a dial for the movie.

Whatever it is, there’s a lot of speculation out there, but there isn’t much time left to figure it out, since Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny drops this June.

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