Dig Crew's Prying Tools (Well of Souls Levers)

A pair of long, sturdy prying levers—each operated by two men under Indiana Jones and Sallah's direction—used during the night dig to force open the massive sealed stone door of the Well of Souls. The crews lever the tools in coordinated effort until the ancient seal cracks, revealing a torch-lit, thirty-foot-deep chamber with a carved altar and writhing asps. The implements function as the dig crew's specialized tools for accessing subterranean chambers.

2 appearances

Purpose

Pry open heavy stone doors to access subterranean chambers

Significance

Breaks through the final barrier to the Ark's hiding place, thrusting Indy into a snake-filled ordeal that tests his ophidiophobia and forces tactical innovation with fire

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Revealing the Well of Souls

Special long prying tools are produced and wielded by teams (two men per tool) to lever and crack the heavy stone door; their use is the physical enabling action that triggers the chamber reveal.

Before: Held at the ready by the dig crew, prepared for heavy lifting and levering.

After: Set aside after use; proven effective in opening the sealed door and enabling entry/inspection.

View full event

S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Torchlit Landing Strip — Confronting the Well of Souls

The dig crew's long prying tools are produced and wielded by teams to crack and then open the heavy stone door, directly enabling the reveal of the Well and setting the sequence that exposes the serpentine hazard.

Before: Carried by the crew, ready for use at the entry aperture.

After: Used and set aside at the pit edge after the door is opened and the men peer into the Well.

View full event