Was There A Real Indiana Jones?

The results are in ladies and gentlemen and I’m not at all surprised that many of you said “yes”, there was an Indiana Jones. The problem with this answer is that many people can’t agree on who it actually was.

The film character “Indiana Jones” played by Harrison Ford was actually based off of the Nazi archaeologist Otto Rahn, whom Spielberg based his movies on. Otto was a bizarre chap, and if you’d like to learn more about Otto Rahn, the Telegraph did a great piece on him.

Another rumored Indiana Jones was Robert Ripley, from “Ripley's Believe It or Not!”

Robert was an eccentric and avid traveler. He took the world by storm visiting far off lands and unblemished territories and cultures. Places like India and the Orient were unconventional areas for the American traveler during the 19th century, however Ripley's obsession drove him to these areas to study the local customs and speak with people in the area. In total, Ripley traveled to over 201 countries. Yet, my only question with Ripley is that he represents more of an anthropologist collecting ethnographies, however he did come back with some pretty bizarre finds, including the shrunken head.

The famous Howard Carter who had worked in Egypt since the age of 17 was an adventure seeker. Even though he was warned against entering the Tomb of King Tut he went forward with his excavations anyway and made one of the most famous and infamous discoveries in Egyptian archaeological history. With his charm and wit and drive to conquer the sands of time, many believe he was the true Indiana Jones.

So the answer to the question, “Was there really an Indiana Jones?” is actually yes, there were many.

You’re turn. Let me know who you think it should be, or is, in the comments area.

© Gnostic Liberation Front (Otto Rahn) © Ancient Digger (Unicorn Man)