Object

Wooden Ark Lifting Poles

Sturdy wooden poles that Indy and Sallah pull from a crate and thread through rings on the Ark of the Covenant and its wooden shipping crate. The group rigs them into a hoist system to lift the crated Ark upward from the snake-choked Well of the Souls. Belloq, Shliemann, and Gobler join the effort at the rim, securing the poles to haul the artifact free as torches flicker and asps surge forward.

2 appearances

Purpose

Rigging and lifting the crated Ark out of the Well of the Souls

Significance

Enables extraction of the humming, snake-repelling Ark from the pit, shifts the scene from reverent discovery to coordinated labor under Nazi oversight, and strands Indy below as the poles carry away his prize.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Ark Revealed — Awe, Fear, and the Rim's Mockery

Sturdy wooden poles are extracted and threaded through the Ark's corner rings and the crate's rings to form a carrying rig; they enable the physical lift and transfer of the Ark from altar to crate and from crate toward the rim.

Before: Stored inside the wooden crate, unused.

After: Inserted through Ark and crate rings, used to stabilize the lift; later removed/secured as the crate is prepared for hauling.

View full event

S1E1 · RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Stranded in the Serpent Pit

Wooden lifting poles are removed from the crate, threaded through the Ark's corner rings to lift it out of the stone chest, then repositioned through the wooden crate's rings to create a stable carrying frame for hoisting; they are essential tools enabling the physical extraction.

Before: Stored inside the wooden crate, unused.

After: Used to maneuver and stabilize the Ark in the wooden crate; then withdrawn after the crate is secured for hoisting.

View full event