Why do we need Egyptian obelisks? Riddles of artifacts in your interior: elegant design with the help of ancient obelisk shapes

Not all visitors to the Design Museum probably know that before the great pyramids in Egypt, no less monumental structures already existed. These were tall, needle-shaped stelae, tapering upwards.

They were based on the symbol of impeccable perfection - the square. The ancient Egyptians called them "tehi", but another name has survived to our time - " obelisk" (from the Greek word "Obeliscus" - "spear").

Monolithic colossi were made of Aswan pink granite. All four faces were covered with ancient hieroglyphs, singing the praises of the sun god Ra and the pharaohs.

The obelisk was completed by a small pyramid - the "pyramidion". According to legend, this is exactly what a stone that fell from the sky on the sacred Egyptian land looked like. The pommel was made of gold, copper or an alloy of gold and silver - electrum.

The first obelisks appeared in Egypt about 4000 years ago. The oldest of them has a height of 20 meters and is installed in Heliopolis. Granite giants were placed in pairs at the entrances to the temples.

Later, the obelisks adorned the corners of the pyramids (only the depressions under them have survived to this day). The Egyptians called them "solar fingers" and believed that these monuments carry the great power of the Sun and are able to resurrect from the dead.

How multi-ton granite steles were carved from volcanic rock, and then transported to different parts of the state, science is not yet known. It has only been established for certain that there were about 30 obelisks in Egypt.

Ancient obelisk: proportions and decoration of faces with hieroglyphs

Images of obelisks on old engravings

After the capture of Egypt by the Romans, more than a dozen obelisks were transported to the homeland of the winners in an unknown way. They become a symbol of power and a sign of victory.

Nine monuments mark the centers of the squares of Rome. The most famous of them, 32 meters high and weighing 230 tons, adorns St. Peter's Square. It was installed on this site in the 16th century, spending a whole year on it.

In the 19th century, Egyptian monuments became extremely popular in Europe and America. At the cost of titanic efforts, monuments from the era of Ramses II are delivered to London, Paris and New York. Their official name is "Cleopatra's Needles", although they are sometimes called "Wandering Obelisks".

Celebrations on the occasion of the installation of Cleopatra's Needle in New York, 1878 (the height of the monument is 22 meters, weight 244 tons)

During the Middle Ages, obelisks served as Christian symbols. Since that time, pyramidions in European cities have been crowned with crosses or balls.

The clergy were not at all worried that the ancient inscriptions on the granite faces had nothing to do with Christianity.

Interestingly, the Muslim religion endows obelisks with satanic power. One of the monuments in Mecca is stoned every year by pilgrims.

Egyptian motifs are often found in the work of modern designers. These are copies of ancient artifacts - pyramids and, of course, obelisks. The material is semi-precious stones, glass or modern transparent plastic.

The inclusion of such an unusual art object as an obelisk gives the interior a special, solemn sound. A complex composition that includes these elements and sculpture turns the interior into a piece of high art.

Sublime style in the interior

The obelisk in the interior is always an appeal to antiquity. The combination of the Egyptian symbol with sculptural portraits of ancient philosophers and thinkers is harmonious.

Organic paintings depicting Roman generals, copies of the capitals of the columns. Antique elements look good against the background of "medieval" tapestries.

Obelisk in the interior: the glory of ancient Egypt

Obelisk in the interior: heritage of ancient history as a stylish decoration

Obelisk in the interior: a modern interpretation of ancient design

The obelisk will easily decorate any landscape composition. And the use of a mirror surface or other modern materials will add relevance and freshness to the ancient structure.

Obelisk in landscape architecture

The legacy of a great civilization, an ancient artifact, even upon close examination, you remain mysterious and incomprehensible. There are still more questions than answers.

Is the growing popularity of the obelisk accidental? Why did the mystical sign of divine power turn into a symbol of military prowess and glory? What encourages us to turn to this amazing design more and more often, to decorate our homes with it?

What secrets do you keep, solar finger pointing to the sky? What are you pointing out, what are you warning about?

Among the various buildings and structures of Ancient Egypt, in addition to the world-famous pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and a number of megalithic temples, giant monolithic granite obelisks 20 meters or more high stand out against the general architectural and construction background.

If you search for information on the obelisks, you will find that it is not clear how many of these structures were erected in Ancient Egypt, why they were erected, how they were made and installed.

According to various sources, I calculated that 16 giant obelisks were placed throughout ancient Egypt. They were erected only in three places - the holy city of Heliopolis (now a suburb of Cairo), in Thebes (now Luxor) and the Faiyum oasis (we will take this obelisk in advance, since its exact height is unknown).

In Heliopolis there were two obelisks erected by Pharaoh Senusret I at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC, 20 meters high and weighing 121 tons. Another obelisk with the name of this pharaoh was erected in Faiyum.

Then an attack of obelisk-building happened about 450 years later - during the time of Thutmose I (1504 - 1492 BC). In two temples located in modern Luxor, eight obelisks were erected in about 300 years. Six of them are in Karnak Temple. Two obelisks were erected by Thutmose I - 23 meters high and weighing 143 tons each. Two are attributed to Pharaoh Hatshepsut - both were 30 meters high and weighing about 200 tons, and two more were erected during the time of Thutmose III - Hatshepsut's successor: they were slightly higher than Hatshepsut's obelisks and reached 32 meters. This third Thutmose did not limit himself to the Karnak temple and placed two obelisks in Heliopolis in front of the entrance to the temple of the god Ra.

Two obelisks 23 meters high and weighing 230 tons stood in front of the entrance to the Luxor temple - located about 3 kilometers from Karnak. It is believed that the obelisks in the Luxor Temple were installed by Ramesses II the Great, whose giant statues stand next to the obelisks.

Pharaoh Seti I in the 13th century BC installed again in Heliopolis 2 giant obelisks in front of one of the temples and in the same place at the beginning of the 6th century BC. For some reason, Psammetichus II put another one (I strongly suspect that he used an obelisk blank, which remained from more ancient times).

How are the obelisks in Egypt now?

One Heliopolis obelisk of Senusret still stands where it was placed. The second one collapsed. In the Faiyum, the obelisk of Senusret also fell and shattered.
One of the two obelisks of the Network of the First in Heliopolis has not survived to this day.
Of the two obelisks in the Luxor Temple, one obelisk currently stands alone at the entrance to the temple (pictured).
In the temple of Karnak there are two obelisks (one of Thutmose the First and one of Hatshepustovsky obelisk) - their other two obelisks are destroyed.
So, today 4 obelisks stand in their places, 5 are destroyed. Thus, 9 obelisks in one form or another remained in Egypt.

Now let's calculate how many obelisks were taken out of Egypt.

One obelisk ended up in Constantinople (now Istanbul). It was brought to the capital of Byzantium under the emperor Theodosius at the end of the 4th century, having lost part of its length. This is the obelisk of Thutmose III from the Temple of Karnak.

The obelisk in London on the banks of the Thames, 20.8 meters high, was taken out of Heliopolis under Cleopatra and installed in Egyptian Alexandria. It was an obelisk of Thutmose III, which was donated by the vice-sultan of Egypt Mohammed Ali to Great Britain in the early 19th century, but was transported to London only in 1877.

Mohammed Ali was generally not a greedy person and presented another obelisk from the Luxor Temple that did not belong to himself to the French king. The granite hulk was transported to Paris in 1833 and installed on the Place de la Concorde.

The second obelisk of Thutmose III from Heliopolis was also initially transported under Cleopatra to Alexandria and already in 1881 ended up in New York, where it now stands in Central Park. The gift from the Egyptian government is 21.6 meters high and weighs 244 tons.

Most of the Egyptian obelisks over 20 meters high ended up in Rome - 4.

The Lateran obelisk is the obelisk of Thutmose III, which was brought to Alexandria from Karnak along with the Istanbul obelisk and transported to Rome in 357. Weight - 230 tons. In 1587, the obelisk, broken due to the collapse, was restored by order of Pope Sixtus the Fifth, but lost 4 meters of its original height. An obelisk was installed next to the Lateran Palace on a high pedestal and its total height is now 45.7 meters.

The Flaminio obelisk in Piazza del Popolo (People's Square) was removed from Egypt by order of Emperor Octavian Augustus in 10 BC. It was installed on the square in 1589. This obelisk of Seti is said to be from Heliopolis. Its height is 24 meters, with a pedestal of 36 meters.

The obelisk in Piazza Montecitorio, about 22 meters high and weighing 214 tons, is presumably the obelisk of Psammetichus from Heliopolis. Brought during the reign of Emperor Augustus in 10 BC. It was discovered under the ruins of Rome in 1748.

The Vatican obelisk was brought to Rome back in 37 by order of Emperor Gaius Caligula and, unlike other Roman obelisks, stood throughout the Middle Ages in the place where it was placed. In 1586, the "obelisk of Caligula" was moved to the square in front of St. Peter's Cathedral. Its height is 25.5 meters. Where it came from is unclear. Someone blurted out that this is the obelisk of Pharaoh Amenemhat II. But there are no hieroglyphs and seals of the pharaoh on the obelisk, which is extremely suspicious: the pharaohs did not do this with their structures - every dog ​​should have known whose obelisk it was! All other obelisks are simply strewn with "stamps" of the pharaohs and other inscriptions. Why did they decide that the Vatican obelisk was built by this particular pharaoh? And where was he in Egypt before the Romans dragged him to Rome? Pliny the Elder mentioned in his writings that this obelisk was brought from Heliopolis. Maybe it was the "not preserved" obelisk of the pharaoh Seti? But Seti, too, could not erect this structure without decorating it with inscriptions. In general, continuous questions without answers.

There were also several small ancient Egyptian obelisks (no more than 7 meters in height) in Rome, but they do not belong to the topic of this work. In the capital of Italy, there are 5 more obelisks that were made in Egypt on the orders of the Roman emperors (the highest was 16.5 meters) and then transported to Rome, but this is a different era when the pharaohs became a distant history.

So, in ancient Egypt there were 16 giant obelisks, 9 pieces in varying degrees of preservation remained there, and 8 units were taken out. The unknown “obelisk of Caligula” spoils the whole harmonious picture - because of it, the balance does not converge. If we assume that this obelisk without inscriptions was just a blank, which was never put in the form of an obelisk (or it was made by order of the Romans), then everything falls into place - out of 16 obelisks installed by the pharaohs in Egypt, 9 remained, and they took out 7. The numbers converge.

Of course, 16 giant obelisks for more than three thousand years of the history of Ancient Egypt is not much. Much more pyramids were built.

Obelisks - unlike the largest Egyptian pyramids - are on the periphery of scientific and public attention. When it comes to the pyramids in Giza, among historians, disputes on the following topics do not subside: who, when, how and for what purpose built these pyramids? The same goes for the Sphinx. But about the obelisks, in fact, they forgot.

Official Egyptology (which believes that all the ancient buildings in Egypt were built by the ancient Egyptians and there can be no secrets here) does not see any problems with obelisks at all: the pharaoh drove a couple of thousand workers into a quarry, those by hammering wooden wedges into the granite rock and using bronze "scrapers" made an obelisk thirty meters long, then dragged a stone weighing more than two hundred tons a thousand kilometers and placed it in Heliopolis. What problems? - Everything is elementary. Fools, in general, have an easy life. Official Egyptology, which until the revolution in Egypt in the winter of 2011 was controlled by the "boss of all bosses" Zahi Hawass, is a collection of "intellectuals" who do not see the obvious. They have the most important evidence of a highly developed civilization on Earth that existed more than 5 thousand years ago under their noses, and they don’t give a damn about it.

In my opinion, it is quite obvious that the technologies that the ancient Egyptians had in the era of the pharaohs were not enough to make giant granite obelisks. Yes, and with the transportation and installation of these blocks should have been huge problems.
If you take the obelisks of Senusret, it immediately catches your eye that the obelisk in Heliopolis is still standing, and the pyramid built by Senusret has already turned into a mountain of stones. The builders of his era could not even properly place large stones in a pyramid, but obelisks weighing more than 120 tons were hewn, transported and installed without any problems!

To truly appreciate the technology that the real obelisk makers had, you should visit Aswan - all tourists are brought in this city to the so-called "unfinished obelisk" in local quarries. It is over 40 meters long and its estimated weight was around 1200 tons!
This obelisk was not finished because it cracked during the manufacturing process. But after all, if not for this opportunity, then its manufacturers would somehow pull out such a colossus and transport it somewhere! What is interesting?..

This obelisk clearly shows where are the traces of work on granite, performed by workers with primitive tools of the pharaonic period, and where are the traces of those workers who sawed the obelisk out of the granite massif. The obelisk itself was really carved by an unknown tool (the surface at the top is almost flat), and its top was definitely processed with more primitive tools. The workers of some pharaoh were obviously trying to finish the unfinished obelisk, but they destroyed it.

It is more like the truth that the obelisks in the time of the pharaohs were already made a long time ago by someone (“gods” in the terminology of the ancient Egyptians), and the task of putting the signs of the pharaoh on them and installing the obelisks fell to the lot of the pharaoh’s workers (which is also not easy, but more doable). And it is possible that the obelisks were already standing in their places for who knows how long, and then were adapted by the pharaohs for their temples. More specifically, the temples were built (or rebuilt?) next to the towering obelisks.

One day, one of the players asked what the Obelisk of the Ancients was. And I had an idea to tell about it.

Let's get started!

• What is it and how to get there...

• How to get there?

• Now in detail about it.

About the ancient world and structures in it.

• In fact, there are not so many of them:

2) A room that mainly consists of Inscribed Stones. If you break them, you can get Fragments of Knowledge.

3) Many different corridors and labyrinths.

4) Boss room! To get there you must find Runic tablet. It is kept on a pedestal in the Ancient Rock room (a bit like a room with inscribed stones). It is guarded by a pair of ancient guardians. After you collect it, you will need to find the boss room. When they found it, RMB on the castle with the Rune Tablet ....


And now, it's done! A very difficult battle awaits you. But the win is worth it...
There are many types of bosses, but the drop from them is the same: yellow heart and Singular pearl.
It was from here that we went through all this difficult and thorny path.
Now what to do with it is up to you! (but if you decide to use it in crafting on a magic workbench, you should know that it does not disappear).

Thank you for your attention. This was my first guide, so do not judge strictly)

Moderator's warning:

Obelisks are associated with the cult of the sun. They taper upward, carved from monolithic stones, they have a pyramidal top (pyramidion), often lined with metal (gold) to shine brightly and shine in the sun. Often they were placed in pairs at the pylons of the entrance to the temples, as well as one by one in the central part of the square in front of the temple. In our time, only a few obelisks remain in Egypt, standing in their original place - most of them were taken to other countries. In the main cities of Europe and America, about 15 of these large monoliths stand in large areas. The largest, weighing more than 1000 tons, was never completed and still lies in the quarries of Aswan.

What are obelisks for? (versions):

Obelisks were built to "communicate with the gods" and were intended forstabilization and conservation of the flowbiological time.

- Perhaps the obelisks serverepeater antennasenergy of a certain property, used by alien civilizations to control and manage humanity?

Some scholars believe that the obelisk is part ofnavigation equipmentfor alien ships, mounted on top of a tower inHeliopolis.

Here are some famous obelisks of the world. Most of them are installed in Rome.

1 . Obelisk Feodosia in Istanbul, a porphyry monolith, 25 m high, brought from the Egyptian temple at Karnak, where it was erected in honor of Thutmose III. The marble base, six meters high, is decorated with bas-reliefs.

2 .Luxor obelisk on Place de la Concorde (France). Created around 1285 BC Decorated the entrance to the temple at Luxor in Egypt, donated to FranceEgyptian Viceroy Muhammad Ali in 1830.

3. P An obelisk rises in front of the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano Laterano, the tallest of the thirteen obelisks (47 meters) installed in the squares of Rome.The obelisk dates back to the era of Pharaoh Thutmose III. In 357, Emperor Constantine II, son of Constantine the Great, decorated the Massimo circus with this obelisk. When the Massimo Circus fell into ruins, by decree of Sixtus V, the obelisk was pulled out, restored and installed in front of the entrance to the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano.

4 . Obelisk Flaminia. Rome. a height of 24 meters was built for the tomb of the pharaoh Ramesse in 1232-20. BC.

5 . An Egyptian monolithic granite obelisk, 16.53 meters high, rises in the center of Piazza Navona in Rome.

6 . Obelisk Minerva arrived in Rome along with the twin obelisk, which is now at the Pantheon for the temple of Isis. This small obelisk, 5.5 meters high, appeared in front of the church in 1667 by order of Pope Alexander VII.

7 . H and St. Peter's Square in the Vatican - there is an Egyptian obelisk, brought to Rome in 37 by the emperor Caligula. The obelisk, 25.5 meters high, is made of pink granite.in 1586, Pope Sixtus V ordered the architect Domenico Fontana to install it in the square. He replaced the golden ball, once crowning the obelisk, with a Cross with a piece of the Cross of the Lord

8. A luxurious staircase with 135 steps rises to the church of Trinita del Monti. At the top of the stairs in front of the church, in 1789, an obelisk 13.91 meters high was erected.This obelisk was carved in Egypt on the instructions of the Romans. In 200 or 300 he was brought to Rome to decorate the gardens of Salustius.

9 . The columns of the Pantheon (Rome) were made of granite blocks 15 m long, delivered from Egypt. The portico of the building faces a small area of ​​the Rotunda, on which there is a fountain created in 1711 during the time of Pope Clement XI. The composition of the fountain uses an obelisk 6.34 m high, found on the site where the temple of Isis was located in ancient times.

10 . Obelisk on Piazza del Polo. A square with three beams of streets branching off from it - one of which leads to the Vatican. At the point of their intersection, an obelisk with a height of 23.2 m and a weight of 235 tons was installed. The obelisk was created during the reign of the son of Ramesses II Merenpt (1223-1211 BC). The obelisk was installed in Heliopolis, the religious center of Ancient Egypt. In 30 BC. after the victory over Cleopatra, the future emperor Augustus ordered this obelisk to be transported to Rome and dedicated to the god Apollo, who ensured his victory.

11 . Obelisk Senusret I - the only surviving building of the ancient Heliopolis in Egypt. Its height 20,4 meters, weight - 121 ton. On the occasion of the anniversary heb seda) Senusret I two obelisks were erected in front of the temple Atum in Heliopolis (one survives) .

12. Britain's largest obelisk "Cleopatra's Needle" height 20.88 m., weight-189.35 tons. Made of pink granite.It was originally installed by order of Thutmose 3 in front of the Temple of the Sun in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis around 1450 BC. After a couple of hundred years, Pharaoh Ramses 2 ordered his military victories to be written on the obelisk.In the 12th century BC. during the reign of Caesar Augustus, the obelisk was transported to Alexandria and installed in the temple that the legendary queen Cleopatra once built in honor of her beloved Mark Antony.Presented to Great Britain by the Viceroy of Egypt Mehemed Ali in 1819 in honor of the victory of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercromby at the Battle of Alexandria.

13 . Obelisk to the first US President George Washington on the National Mall (USA). The monument, almost 170 meters high, is made in the image and likeness of Egyptian obelisks. (not original)

14 . Egyptian obelisk in New York's Central Park. The obelisk from the time of Pharaoh Thutmose III dates back to about 3500 years old. It has been the pride of the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1881 as a gift from the Egyptian government. Its height is 21.6 meters, weight is 244 tons.

15. Buinos Aires (Argentina) . Artificial obelisk in honor of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city. height 67.5 m.

17 . in Aswan (Egypt) a 42-meter obelisk carved from stone remained unraveled

18. Obelisk of Constantine . Colossus(Openwork stone column) was built from stone blocks by order of Emperor Constantine VII in honor of the memory of his grandfather Basil I. The original height of the column was 32 meters, it was covered with gilded bronze sheets, which were torn off and melted down by the crusaders during the 4th crusade (1204). Currently, the height of the column is 21 meters.

Last modified: September 21, 2018

Amazing city - amazing sights. Rome is the first city in the world in terms of the number of obelisks. These unusual monuments, characteristic of the architecture of Ancient Egypt, cannot but attract attention: tall stelae, gracefully rising on pedestals, are decorated with ancient hieroglyphs. Looking at these monuments, one involuntarily asks the question: how did it happen that today in many squares of the capital of Italy you can see Egyptian obelisks. Or maybe they are not Egyptian after all ... A moment of patience! Now we will figure everything out.

How ancient are they Egyptian obelisks

So, obelisks in ancient Egypt were made from a single piece of stone, often granite. They were installed at the entrances to temples and palaces. On the surface of the stele, inscriptions were carved glorifying the god of the Sun - Ra and the pharaohs ruling at the time of the creation of the monument. Thanks to this, it is possible to determine the almost exact age of the obelisks that have survived to this day.

The most ancient Egyptian stelae that have survived to this day belong to the period of the 5th dynasty, that is, to the XXVI-XXIV centuries BC, however, researchers tend to assume that the first such monuments began to be erected in Ancient Egypt even earlier.

How Egyptian obelisks ended up in Rome and what they served for

Obelisks began to be taken to the Eternal City during the time of Octavian Augustus, after the Battle of Cape Actium (31 BC), which put an end to the confrontation between Egypt and Rome. Subsequent emperors also had a hand in the delivery of ancient monuments to the capital of the empire. Egyptian steles were installed in the central part of the hippodromes, called circuses in those days, in the imperial villas and at the entrance to the mausoleums. After the fall of the Roman Empire, many ancient buildings fell into disrepair.

The second, or even the third life of ancient Egyptian obelisks was given in the Renaissance. The Popes, who undertook the capital reconstruction of the city, began to build new palaces and temples, equip city squares and parks. During the excavations carried out at that time, among other things, ancient obelisks were discovered. Many of them, after restoration, were installed in the squares near the main basilicas of Rome, thus indicating the way for pilgrims. So, ancient steles can be seen at, in the square near and near. In addition, these monuments began to be used as decorations for city squares.

Technical drawing by Domenico Fontana showing the construction for the installation of the obelisk in St. Peter's Square

Obelisks of Sixtus V

Pope Sixtus V, who was at the head of the Holy See from April 1585 to August 1590, was the first to use the obelisks of Egypt in the context of new projects for the improvement of the city. This, in his opinion, was to emphasize the influence of the Church and, in particular, the importance of his pontificate. Obelisks erected by Sixtus V in Rome:

• Vatican

Located in St. Peter's Square. It has a height of 25.5 meters. Made from red granite. Brought to Rome by Emperor Caligula in 40 AD.

• Esquian

Located in Piazza Esquilino near the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The height of the stele is 14.75 meters. This monument is only a copy made in the time of Domitian. The Esquiline obelisk, along with the original that now adorns Quirinal Square, was originally placed at the entrance to the Mausoleum of Augustus.

• Lateran

One of the oldest obelisks in Rome is located in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano. The height of the monument is 32.18 meters, which makes it the tallest monolithic obelisk in the world. Its age is more than 3500 thousand years!

• Flaminiev

The Flaminius obelisk adorns today, and during the time of the pharaohs Ramses II and Seti I (XIV-XIII centuries BC) it was at the main entrance to the temple of the sun god in Heliopolis.

Obelisk of Innocent X

Thanks to Pope Innocent X, born Giovanni Battista Pamphili, a restored obelisk was erected in Piazza Navona in the middle of the 17th century, made during the time of Domitian in the second half of the 1st century for his own villa. The stele was made by Roman craftsmen following the example of Egyptian monuments. Its height is 16.53 meters, and together with the pedestal and the fountain, of which it is part, it is 30 meters.

Obelisks of Pius VI

• Quirinal

It is located on the square of the same name and is part of the Dioscuri Fountain. The height of the obelisk is 14.63 meters, and together with the pedestal - 28.94. The stele, made of red granite, was brought to Rome approximately in the 1st century AD and installed along with its Roman copy at the entrance to the Mausoleum of Augustus. Due to the absence of any inscriptions on the surface of the obelisk, it is difficult to guess its age, which is why it is commonly believed that this monument is not as ancient as other Egyptian obelisks brought to Rome during the time of the empire.

• Obelisk of Sallust

Installed in Piazza Trinita dei Monti, this obelisk was the perfect completion of the famous architectural ensemble on. Its height together with the pedestal is 30.45 meters (the stele itself is 13.91 meters high). The Obelisk of Sallust is not an original Egyptian monument, but only an imitation made during the Roman Empire.

• Obelisk in Piazza Montecitorio

The obelisk that adorns the square in front of Montecitorio Palace, where today the meetings of the Italian Chamber of Deputies are held, was realized during the reign of Psammetichus II (c. 595-589 BC) and brought to Rome in 10 BC. Emperor Augustus, along with an obelisk located in Piazza del Popolo.

Other ancient obelisks of Rome

In total, there are 13 ancient obelisks in Rome. Some of them are original Egyptian monuments, while others, as we have already written, are just a Roman copy or imitation. However, both of them are of great historical and cultural interest. In addition to the above obelisks in Rome, you can see the following:

It is located on the square of the same name in front of the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva and is part of an architectural composition made by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in the 17th century.

• Obelisk at the Pantheon

Another ancient obelisk, realized directly in Ancient Egypt, can be seen in Piazza della Rotonda, which is located at. This is one of the smallest obelisks in Rome. Its height is only 6.34 meters, but together with the pedestal it reaches 14.52. The stele is dated to the reign of Ramses II, that is, the XIV-XIII centuries. BC.

• Obelisk at Villa Celimontana

It is located on the territory of Villa Celimontana, located in the Celia region. The obelisk itself consists of two parts, which can be seen with the naked eye. Its upper part is an original monument brought from Egypt and dating back to the period of the reign of Ramses II, while the lower part was added already in Rome.

• Obelisk Pincho

The obelisk, installed on Pincho Hill, was made by order of Emperor Hadrian (reigned 117-138 AD), who dedicated this monument to his tragically deceased favorite - Antinous. Pink granite for the realization of this monument was delivered directly from Egypt. The hieroglyphic inscriptions adorning the four sides of the obelisk glorify Antinous, comparing him to the Egyptian god of rebirth, Osiris.

• Obelisk Dogali

Located near the Baths of Diocletian. Together with the obelisk in front of the Pantheon, it is the smallest in Rome. Its height without a pedestal is 6.34 meters. The monument was erected in its current place in memory of those who died during the Battle of Dogali. The origin of the obelisk is attributed to the city of Heliopolis, and the period of its implementation is the 18th century BC.

In addition to the above obelisks in Rome, you can find many other, more modern monuments made in the Egyptian style, but we will talk about them in our next publications.

Rome and a damn dozen ancient obelisks