Indiana Jones & the City of Gods

First, we’re going to see a teaser trailer this Thanksgiving.

And second - Shia’s officially signed. (Thanks for all the e-mails.) Shia said, “I can tell you I'm sort of the sidekick character, obviously,” which may reveal the fact that Henry Jones Sr. will have a diminished role in the film. He also says Lucas still won’t tell him what the MacGuffin will be. “Lucas looks at you and says simply, ‘I can't tell you that,’” LaBeouf says. “Then when he thinks he is supposed to tell you something but isn't sure, he gets up and leaves the room, goes in to talk with Spielberg and comes back and says, ‘Nope. Sorry.’”

However, I want to talk about the rumored title - Indiana Jones & the City of Gods. (Fanboys at Aint It Cool News now claim that this was the title of Darabont's rejected script.) In any case, this rumor originated from an article in Empire Magazine. How did they hear this? “An email from an anonymous source.” Very flimsy, indeed, but at the same time, similarly flimsy reporting, such as the rumor about Shia, has a funny way of being true.

So IF this is true, what could this potential title mean?

I give you 5 theories:

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Number V

Grecian or Roman mythology:

I lump these 3 cities together as they are different branches of the same mythological tree. They each have the nickname “City of Gods:” Athens & Catania for its Grecian gods and Rome, of course, for its Roman gods. The number of possible artifacts is endless, but none of this is likely, because the movies have always been rooted in religious artifacts and not necessarily from the tales of Zeus and Cyclops.

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Number IV

An Egyptian Artifact:

In southern Egypt, there is a famous archeological site, Abu Simbel (photos here). There you will find The Great Temple dedicated to Ramesses, as well as the gods Amun Ra, Ra Harakhti, and Ptah, and thus, Abu Simbel earned the nickname “City of Gods.” The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with divinity, death, the afterlife, and reincarnation. You’re also looking at the possibility of seeing the ruins at Abydos, Karnak, Luxor, and also the island of Philae, which has the last hieroglyphics and a little known shrine to Egypt's lost gods.

Here, too, the variety of gods and artifacts is endless. The symbol next to the above paragraph is called the “The Ankh” and was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stood for “life.” The Ankh appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art. It often appears at the fingertips of a god or goddess in images “that represent the deities of the afterlife conferring the gift of life on the dead person's mummy.” The Ankh was often carried by Egyptians as an amulet, either alone, or in connection with two other hieroglyphs that mean “strength” and “health.” Mirrors were often made in the shape of an Ankh.

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Number III

An Incan Artifact:

Of course, the photo at the tip-top of this article is the very famous Machu Picchu, an ancient South American Shangri-La for the Inca Emperor and nobility, but the site also has a number of temples that were dedicated to Incan deities. Who were the Incan deities? Endless. An artifact related to the Chakana is a possibility. In Incan mythology, Uku Pacha ("the lower world") was the underworld located beneath the Earth's surface. Its symbol was the snake, which was thought to die when digging into the earth and reborn after coming out of it. (Yeah, baby, a snake!) On the flipside, Hanan Pacha (“higher world”) was the Heavenly underworld. Only righteous people could enter it (much like Heaven), crossing a bridge made of hair. Other locations might include the city of Pisac, which like all Inca cities was designed in the shape of a sacred animal or the city of Cajamarca, where the Inca leader Atahualpa was murdered by Spaniards.

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Number II

A Buddhist Artifact:

“City of Gods” would, in fact, invalidate any theories about Islamic artifacts, including my own about The Black Stone, because Islam believes in only one God. But with Buddhism...

We could be looking at a trip to Tibet, the Potala Palace (pictured above), and the holy mountain of Kailash (all of which may explain why they are negotiating with Gong Li for a role). It is said of Kailash, “Sometimes, at sunset when the air is especially clear, it is possible to see the light surrounding Kailash. This light, starting within the depths of the mountain is the light of the City of the Gods, a forgotten Shambhala. Gods strictly protect their last shelter and the heritage of the great forgotten civilizations. Even today, no mortal can approach Kailash.” Another city we might see is Devinuwara. In Sinhalese language, “Devi” literally means “gods” and “nuwara” means “city.” “Buddhist as well as other community people visit this place at least once a year, during the annual festival season which occurs in June, to receive the blessings of the gods.”

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Number I

Indy’s Going to Mexico:

No city in the world is more famously known as the “City of Gods” than Teotihuacán. It’s a huge complex full of ancient pyramids with very cool names like The Feathered Serpent Pyramid, The Cuidadela, The Pyramid of the Sun, The Pyramid of the Moon, and of course, the Avenue of the Dead. I love it!

The origins of this city are cloaked in mystery. Time Magazine had a great article about it called The City of Gods. Here's Wikipedia: “For many years, archaeologists believed it was built by the Toltec people, an early Mexican civilization. This belief was based on Aztec writings which attributed the site to the Toltecs. However, the Nahuatl word "Toltec" means "great craftsman" and may not always refer to the Toltec civilization. Also, Teotihuacán predates the Toltec civilization, ruling them out as the city's founders. Other scholars have put forth the Totonac people as the founders of Teotihuacán, and the debate continues to this day. There is evidence that at least some of the people living in Teotihuacán came from areas influenced by the Teotihuacáno civilization, including the Zapotec, Mixtec and Maya peoples. The culture and architecture of Teotihuacán was influenced by the Olmec people, who are considered to be the "mother civilization" of Mesoamerica. The earliest buildings at Teotihuacán date to about 200 BCE, and the largest pyramid, the Pyramid of the Sun, was completed by 100 CE.” The city produced a great number of obsidian artifacts.

On a side note, Indy could also be searching for a Mayan artifact. The Maya believed they owed a blood debt to the Gods – one that could only be repaid through sacrifice. Deep in the rainforest of Guatemala, you’ll find the massive Mayan city of Tikal, which has some sensational temples especially Tikal Temple I and II. In Mexico, you can find the spectacular temples of Palenque and Chichen Itza.