The Timeline of Indiana Jones

With the arrival of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in theaters, fans are getting to see the last chapter in the life of Indiana Jones on the big screen. However, anyone who has seen this film also knows that an earlier chapter is shown within the movie as well. This isn’t the first time that this has been done in an Indiana Jones movie. With that in mind, below is a look at the life of Indiana Jones as seen on the big screen and small screen to see when the different events in Indy’s life took place within the context of the stories that were shown in the movies and series.

Indiana Jones Movie Release Timeline

First off, the Indiana Jones movies were released in the following years:

1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark
1984: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1989: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
2008: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2023: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Indiana Jones Movie Timeline

The release timeline, however, does not line up with the timeline of events of Indiana Jones’ life. If looking simply at when the movies take place, this is how it all plays out:

1935: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1936: Raiders of the Lost Ark
1938: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
1957: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
1969: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

The Life of Indiana Jones Timeline

There is a lot more to each chapter in the life of Indiana Jones than just the main year that each movie takes place. The stories tend to go all over the place in terms of time. Below is a look at the life of Indiana Jones from what has been shared in the various movies. It should be noted that there are spoilers to be found in the following timeline for the most recent film, Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny.

212 BC – Indiana Jones and his goddaughter Helena make a quick visit and encounter Archimedes during the Siege of Syracuse as they fight Jürgen Voller’s efforts to change the course of history. This can be seen in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny.
1899 – Henry Jones Jr. is born on July 1st. He would eventually change his name to Indiana. This name came from a beloved dog for which he “had a lot of fond memories.”
1907-1920 – Indiana Jones travels with his parents while following his father’s pursuits. This time period was shown in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
1912 – A young Indiana Jones crosses paths with the man in a Panama hat as they both pursue Coronado’s golden crucifix. It is during this adventure that Indiana gets his scar on his chin from learning how to use a whip. He also receives his iconic fedora during this time. This is also the year that Indy’s mother dies.
1926 – Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood get romantically involved. Marion is the daughter of Indy’s mentor, Abner Ravenwood.
1935 – Indiana Jones rescues Sankara Stones and kidnapped Mayapore children from Pankot Palace in India. This adventure is chronicled in Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom.
1936 – After retrieving a golden idol from an ancient temple in South America, he ends up seeking the Ark of the Covenant at the behest of the American government. Along the way, he ends up partnering with his former flame Marion Ravenwood and facing off against Nazi’s who are after the same objective. The Nazi’s are doing so with archeologist René Belloq, who is working with the Nazi’s but with his own agenda. This adventure can be seen in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
1938 – Indiana Jones gets recruited to find The Holy Grail after his father goes missing. This eventually leads to the father and son adventure that is seen in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. Once again Indy is facing off against Nazi’s who are chasing after The Holy Grail as well, but for their own twisted reasons. During this time Marion also gives birth to Indiana’s son Mutt, which he won’t find out about until many years later.
1944 – Indiana Jones goes to the French Alps to a Nazi held castle to retrieve the Lance of Longinus. While there, Indy and Oxford Archeologist Basil Shaw get captured. The events that follow lead to the duo escaping with half of Archimedes’ Dial. During their escape, the two meet an astrophysicist named Jürgen Voller who originally found the half of Archimedes’ Dial. This is seen in the opening sequence of Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny.
1957 – Indiana Jones is on adventures that revolve around aliens, so he thinks, during this period. He also discovers he has a son with Marion Ravenwood named Mutt Williams shows up looking for help to find a missing family friend named Harold Oxley. This sets them off an adventure that leads them to Peru where they seek and find Akator, an ancient city. They also find Oxley and Marion Ravenwood… and ancient aliens… and also a Crystal Skull. It turns out Akator was built on an alien spaceship by aliens who have the power of telekinsis. It is there that the Crystal Skull transports its brain/mind back into an alien body that has been there for centuries. This reactivates the spaceship and leads to the destruction of Akator. This can be seen in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.
1959 – Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood get married in Connecticut. Indiana Jones is also made an associate dean at Marshall College. This can also be seen in Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.
1969 – Life hasn’t been kind for Indiana Jones. He now lives in New York City where he is a professor of archeology that is preparing to retire. He and Marion have separated after the death of their son Mutt in the Vietnam War. His fortunes change when his goddaughter Helena (Basil Shaw’s daughter) bumps into him and they search for the other half of Archimedes’ Dial. The duo find themselves up agains Nazi’s once again as Jürgen Voller has become a NASA scientist using the name “Dr. Schmidt.” Voller wishes to use the Dial to time travel and change the course of World War II and world history itself. All three end up going back in time where Voller is defeated before Indy and Helena return to 1969. Once back in New York, Helena helps push the grieving and healing process along by reuniting Indy and Marion. These events are shown in Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny.

While this doesn’t hit every little detail of the life of Indiana Jones, the above is a pretty good look at the timeline of events during the life of Henry Jones Jr. At this point, it is expected that this is the end of the story that will be told about Indiana Jones. However, as anyone who has watched any Indiana Jones film most likely has observed, anything is possible.

What do you think of this timeline of Indiana Jones’ life? What is your favorite story that has been told about Indiana Jones? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!