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 Noah's Ark
Legend: Per Genesis (book, not band), God flooded earth to punish man for his wickedness. But first he tipped off Noah, instructing him to build a big-ass houseboat and stock it with all the world's beasts. At flood's end, Noah, his family and their vast array of pets repopulated earth, to which our office of monkeys, iguanas, polar bears, and white people says, "eh, sounds reasonable."
Where is it: As Bible lore has it, Noah docked his giant floating rig atop Mt. Ararat in Turkey. In fact, in 1949, a U2 spy plane on a covert mission snapped photos of what appears to be a wooden hull lodged in Ararat's glacial ice. The CIA has commissioned several similar missions since. Yay tax dollars!
Key obstacles: Besides the snow, ice and high altitude, did we mention that Mt. Ararat is a volcano? Think inflatable raft scene from Temple of Doom, but replace the rubber rig with a wooden relic and add rivers of flesh-melting lava.
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 Atlantis
Legend: According to king of understatement Plato, the island of Atlantis sank into the ocean during "a single day and night of misfortune" in return for attacking the other superpower of the day, Athens. Ever since, historians have debated whether it was a factual account or just one of Plato's political metaphors. What a scamp!
Where is it: Speculation shrouds Atlantis' would-be location, but geological formations point toward the Greek island of Santorini. With towering cliffs and a shape like a half-eaten donut ringing a volcano, Santorini got its distinct look from an eruption that sank a large portion of its original landmass, supposedly sending tsunamis rippling through the Mediterranean.
Key obstacles: Archaic SCUBA gear, volcanic ash, and god knows what creatures lurking in the sea's murky depths. Also, gyros: If the sharks circling Santorini don't keep Indy from his prize, then the island's tasty meat tornados certainly will.
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Camelot
Legend: A bastion of bravery, truth and justice (for all!), Camelot was the headquarters of King Arthur and those humorless do-gooders The Knights of the Round Table.
Where is it: Though numerous British cities lay claim to Camelot, most archeologists and tourism masterminds—to varying degrees—consider Cadbury Castle in Somerset to be the fabled city's only plausible location.
Key obstacles: A maze of lost, subterranean chambers, unwieldy battle-axes, holier-than-thou ghosts, a skeptical and bemused public, and, depending on what year Indy embarked on his mission, an increasingly poor exchange rate. |
 Tower of Babel
Legend: Supposedly after the great flood, the Babylonians built a tower so tall it would reach to the heavens. But, since they bombastically built the phallic structure to celebrate their own ingenuity, God struck them down with his wrath, confusing their languages and scattering them across the earth.
Where is it: While there isn't much evidence of such a tower in present-day Iraq, similar tales exist in other cultures. Most impressive is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, located in Mexico. The now subteranean pyramid is the largest monument ever constructed, one-third larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza. As legend tells it, the Aztec giant Xelhua built the towering stucture to invade heaven.
Key obstacles: Did you just read that last line? A God-battling Giant? Um, you first, Indy. |
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