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I used to be a land surveyor, so when I watch Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones computes the distance from the floor of the Map Room and then is shown f

by wyclif 3y ago

I used to be a land surveyor, so when I watch Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones computes the distance from the floor of the Map Room and then is shown finding the burial place of the Ark of the Covenant using a theodolite on a tripod, I just couldn't believe Spielberg didn't have a guy to whisper in his ear and tell him no, that actually can't be done accurately from ancient Egyptian measurements.

saberience 3y ago
As a layperson, can you explain why it's impossible? I remember when I saw this movie the scene seemed at least somewhat plausible as long as the map-room was built accurately and to scale, right?
- sbierwagen 3y ago
  The sun describes a different arc through the sky depending on the time of year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analemma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analemma It could have been done... if Indy knew the hour and minute the map room had been laid out, and it would only work twice a year. (Or once a year, if they had picked one of the solstices) Not exactly compatible with sneaking into the dig site under the noses of the Nazis.
  - wyclif 3y ago
    Good answer, because there's no way Indy could have known the precise month or year the Map Room was built. The sun's angle changes throughout the day, making this a very time-sensitive operation. If Indy were off by even a few minutes, his calculations would be inaccurate. Also: lack of scale would come into play. One would need much more precise dimensions of the staff, the height of the structure, and the angle of the sun's rays with much greater accuracy. Indy eyeballing it, as he does in the movie, wouldn't get him close to the location of the chamber. Indy and Sallah and crew would have needed to do a lot more digging and exploration to locate the Ark chamber (but of course, that wouldn't have made for a good movie, which is why such events are time-compressed).

by wyclif 3y ago

saberience 3y ago

As a layperson, can you explain why it's impossible? I remember when I saw this movie the scene seemed at least somewhat plausible as long as the map-room was built accurately and to scale, right?

sbierwagen 3y ago
The sun describes a different arc through the sky depending on the time of year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analemma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analemma It could have been done... if Indy knew the hour and minute the map room had been laid out, and it would only work twice a year. (Or once a year, if they had picked one of the solstices) Not exactly compatible with sneaking into the dig site under the noses of the Nazis.
- wyclif 3y ago
  Good answer, because there's no way Indy could have known the precise month or year the Map Room was built. The sun's angle changes throughout the day, making this a very time-sensitive operation. If Indy were off by even a few minutes, his calculations would be inaccurate. Also: lack of scale would come into play. One would need much more precise dimensions of the staff, the height of the structure, and the angle of the sun's rays with much greater accuracy. Indy eyeballing it, as he does in the movie, wouldn't get him close to the location of the chamber. Indy and Sallah and crew would have needed to do a lot more digging and exploration to locate the Ark chamber (but of course, that wouldn't have made for a good movie, which is why such events are time-compressed).