Obelisk

An obelisk (/ˈɒbəlɪsk/; from Ancient Greek: ὀβελίσκος obeliskos ;[1][2] diminut ive of ὀβελός
obelos , "spit , nail, point ed pillar"[3]) is a t all, four-sided, narrow t apering monument which ends in a
pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at t he t op.[4] Originally const ruct ed by Ancient Egypt ians and
called tekhenu, t he Greeks used t he Greek t erm obeliskos t o describe t hem, and t his word
passed int o Lat in and ult imat ely English.[5] Though William Thomas used t he t erm correct ly in his
Historie of Italie of 1549, by t he lat e sixt eent h cent ury (aft er reduced cont act wit h It aly
following t he excommunicat ion of Queen Elizabet h), Shakespeare failed t o dist inguish bet ween
pyramids and obelisks in his plays and sonnet s.[6] Ancient obelisks are monolit hic and consist of a
single st one; most modern obelisks are made of several st ones.[7]
 One of the two Luxor
Obelisks, on the Place de la
Concorde in Paris; a red
granite monolithic column, 23
metres (75 feet) high,
including the base, which
weighs over 250 metric tons
(280 short tons).

Ancient obelisks

Egyptian
Obelisks were prominent in t he archit ect ure of t he ancient Egypt ians, and played a vit al role in
t heir religion placing t hem in pairs at t he ent rance of t he t emples. The word "obelisk" as used in
English t oday is of Greek rat her t han Egypt ian origin because Herodot us, t he Greek t raveler, was
one of t he first classical writ ers t o describe t he object s. A number of ancient Egypt ian obelisks
are known t o have survived, plus t he "unfinished obelisk" found part ly hewn from it s quarry at
Aswan. These obelisks are now dispersed around t he world, and fewer t han half of t hem remain in
Egypt .

The earliest t emple obelisk st ill in it s original posit ion is t he 68-foot (20.7 m) 120-met ric-t on
(130-short -t on)[8] red granit e Obelisk of Senusret I of t he Twelft h Dynast y at Al-Mat ariyyah in
modern Heliopolis.[9]
In Egypt ian myt hology, t he obelisk symbolized t he sun god Ra, and during t he religious
reformat ion of Akhenat en it was said t o have been a pet rified ray of t he At en, t he sundisk.
Benben was t he mound t hat arose from t he primordial wat ers Nu upon which t he creat or god
At um set t led in t he creat ion st ory of t he Heliopolit an creat ion myt h form of Ancient Egypt ian
religion. The Benben st one (also known as a pyramidion) is t he t op st one of t he Egypt ian pyramid.
It is also relat ed t o t he obelisk.

It is hypot hesized by New York Universit y Egypt ologist Pat ricia Blackwell Gary and Astronomy
senior edit or Richard Talcot t t hat t he shapes of t he ancient Egypt ian pyramid and obelisk were
derived from nat ural phenomena associat ed wit h t he sun (t he sun-god Ra being t he Egypt ians'
great est deit y at t hat t ime).[10] The pyramid and obelisk's significance have been previously
overlooked, especially t he ast ronomical phenomena connect ed wit h sunrise and sunset : Zodiacal
light and sun pillars respect ively.

Types of Egyptian obelisks

Pylon of the Obelisk Tip of
Temple of of Hatshepsut's
Luxor with the Pharao fallen obelisk,
remaining h Karnak Temple
Luxor Obelisk Senusr Complex, Luxor,
in front (the et I, Al- Egypt
second is Maalla
today on the area of
Place de la Al-
Concorde in Matariy
Paris) yah
district
district
in
moder
n
Heliop
olis,
Egypt
 Unfinish
ed
obelisk,
Aswan,
Egypt

Nubian
Ancient Nubian kings of t he t went y-fift h Dynast y sought t o legit imize t heir rule over Egypt by
const ruct ing Egypt ianizing monument s in t he Middle Nile region. Hist orical sources ment ion t hat
king Piye built at least one obelisk. The obelisk was made of local black granit e and was found at
t he sit e of Kadakol. It had been cut down t o make it int o a column, presumably for one of t he
early Christ ian churches in t he area of Old Dongola. Today t he obelisk is exhibit ed in t he Nat ional
Museum in Khart oum.[11] The obelisk is inscribed wit h t he kings official t it ulary: Strong-bull,
Appearing-in-Dominion (Thebes), King-of-Upper-and-Lower-Egypt, Two-ladies, Ruler-of-Egypt, Son-
of-Rê, Pi(ankh)y: what he made as his monument for his father Amen-Rê, lord of [...].[12]
An obelisk of King Senkamanisken was found at Gebel Barkal in 1916 by t he Harvard Universit y
Museum of Fine Art s expedit ion t o Sudan. There are remains of anot her small obelisk inscribed
wit h t he cart ouche of King Akt isanes at t he sit e of Gebel Barkal.[13]

Ancient Egyptian obelisks in Ancient

Rome

The Obelisk of Tuthmosis III,

Istanbul, Turkey

Around 30 BCE, Rome seized cont rol of Egypt and loot ed t he various t emple complexes; in one
case t hey dest royed walls at t he Temple of Karnak t o haul t hem out . There are now more t han
t wice as many obelisks t hat were seized and shipped out by Rome as remain in Egypt . The
majorit y were dismant led during t he Roman period over 1,700 years ago and t he obelisks were
sent t o different locat ions.

The largest st anding and t allest Egypt ian obelisk is t he Lat eran Obelisk in t he square at t he west
side of t he Lat eran Basilica in Rome at 105.6 feet (32.2 m) t all and a weight of 455 met ric t ons
(502 short t ons).[14] More well known is t he iconic 25 met res (82 ft ), 331-met ric-t on (365-short -
t on) Vat ican obelisk at Saint Pet er's Square.[14] Brought t o Rome by t he Emperor Caligula in
37 CE, it has st ood at it s current sit e and on t he wall of t he Circus of Nero, flanking St Pet er's
Basilica.
 The elder Pliny in his Natural History refers to the obelisk's transportation from
Egypt to Rome by order of the Emperor Gaius (Caligula) as an outstanding event.
The barge that carried it had a huge mast of fir wood which four men's arms could
not encircle. One hundred and twenty bushels of lentils were needed for ballast.
Having fulfilled its purpose, the gigantic vessel was no longer wanted. Therefore,
filled with stones and cement, it was sunk to form the foundations of the foremost
quay of the new harbour at Ostia.[15]

Pope Sixt us V was det ermined t o erect t he obelisk in front of St Pet er's, of which t he nave was
yet t o be built . He had a full-sized wooden mock-up erect ed wit hin mont hs of his elect ion.
Domenico Font ana, t he assist ant of Giacomo Della Port a in t he Basilica's const ruct ion,
present ed t he Pope wit h a lit t le model crane of wood and a heavy lit t le obelisk of lead, which
Sixt us himself was able t o raise by t urning a lit t le winch wit h his finger. Font ana was given t he
project . Half-buried in t he debris of t he ages, it was first excavat ed as it st ood; t hen it t ook from
30 April t o 17 May 1586 t o move it on rollers t o t he Piazza: it required nearly 1000 men,
140 cart horses, and 47 cranes. The re-erect ion, scheduled for 14 Sept ember, t he Feast of t he
Exalt at ion of t he Cross, was wat ched by a large crowd. It was a famous feat of engineering,
which made t he reput at ion of Font ana, who det ailed it in a book illust rat ed wit h copperplat e
et chings, Della Trasportatione dell'Obelisco Vaticano et delle Fabriche di Nostro Signore Papa
Sisto V (1590),[16][17] which it self set a new st andard in communicat ing t echnical informat ion and
influenced subsequent archit ect ural publicat ions by it s met iculous precision.[18] Before being re-
erect ed t he obelisk was exorcised. It is said t hat Font ana had t eams of relay horses t o make his
get away if t he ent erprise failed. When Carlo Maderno came t o build t he Basilica's nave, he had t o
put t he slight est kink in it s axis, t o line it precisely wit h t he obelisk.

Three more obelisks were erect ed in Rome under Sixt us V: at Sant a Maria Maggiore, in 1587; at
t he Lat eran Basilica, in 1588; and at t he Piazza del Popolo, in 1589.[19] An obelisk st ands in front
of t he church of Trinit à dei Mont i, at t he head of t he Spanish St eps. Anot her obelisk in Rome is
sculpt ed as carried on t he back of an elephant . Rome lost one of it s obelisks, t he Boboli obelisk
which had decorat ed t he t emple of Isis, where it was uncovered in t he 16t h cent ury. The Medici
claimed it for t he Villa Medici, but in 1790 t hey moved it t o t he Boboli Gardens at t ached t o t he
Palazzo Pit t i in Florence, and left a replica in it s place.

Not all t he Egypt ian obelisks in t he Roman Empire were set up at Rome: Herod t he Great
imit at ed his Roman pat rons and set up an obelisk, Caesarea obelisk, made out of Egypt ian red
granit e in t he hippodrome of his new cit y Caesarea in nort hern Judea. This one is about 40 feet
(12 m) t all and weighs about 100 met ric t ons (110 short t ons).[20] It was discovered by
archaeologist s and has been re-erect ed at it s former sit e.

In 357 CE, Emperor Const ant ius II had t wo Karnak Temple obelisks removed and t ransport ed
down t he Nile t o Alexandria t o commemorat e his ventennalia , t he 20t h year of his reign.
Aft erward, one was sent t o Rome and erect ed on t he spina of t he Circus Maximus, and is t oday
known as t he Lat eran Obelisk. The ot her one, known as t he Obelisk of Theodosius, remained in
Alexandria unt il 390 CE, when Emperor Theodosius I had it t ransport ed t o Const ant inople (now
Ist anbul) and put up on t he spina of t he Hippodrome of Const ant inople (now Sult an Ahmet
Square).[21] It once st ood 95 feet (29 m) t all and weighed 380 met ric t ons (420 short t ons);
however, it s lower sect ion (which reput edly also once st ood in t he hippodrome) is now lost ,
reducing t he obelisk's size t o 65 feet (20 m).[22]

Ancient Egyptian obelisks in modern cities

The Dutch Golden Age

painter Bartholomeus
Breenbergh placed an
obelisk in the background of
his 1655 painting Joseph
S ells Grain

The Ancient Romans populat ed t heir cit y wit h 8 large and 42 small Egypt ian obelisks. More have
been re-erect ed elsewhere, and t he best -known examples out side Rome are t he pair of 21-
met re (69 ft ) 187-met ric-t on (206-short -t on) Cleopat ra's Needles in London, England (21 met res
or 69 feet ), and New York Cit y, US (21 met res or 70 feet ), and t he 23-met re (75 ft ) over-250-
met ric-t on (280-short -t on) Luxor Obelisk at t he Place de la Concorde in Paris, France.[23]
Obelisks were being shipped out of Egypt as lat e as t he ninet eent h cent ury when t hree of t hem
were sent t o London, New York and Paris. Their t ransport at ion was covered by various
newspapers.[24]

Assyrian
Obelisk monument s are also known from t he Assyrian civilizat ion, where t hey were erect ed as
public monument s t hat commemorat ed t he achievement s of t he Assyrian king.

The Brit ish Museum possesses four Assyrian obelisks:

The Whit e Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I (named due t o it s colour), was discovered by Hormuzd
Rassam in 1853 at Nineveh. The obelisk was erect ed by eit her Ashurnasirpal I (1050–1031 BCE)
or Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BCE). The obelisk bears an inscript ion t hat refers t o t he king's
seizure of goods, people and herds, which he carried back t o t he cit y of Ashur. The reliefs of t he
Obelisk depict milit ary campaigns, hunt ing, vict ory banquet s and scenes of t ribut e bearing.

The Rassam Obelisk, named aft er it s discoverer Hormuzd Rassam, was found on t he cit adel of
Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). It was erect ed by Ashurnasirpal II, t hough only survives in fragment s. The
surviving part s of t he reliefs depict scenes of t ribut e bearing t o t he king from Syria and t he
west .[25]

The Black Obelisk was discovered by Sir Aust en Henry Layard in 1846 on t he cit adel of Kalhu.
The obelisk was erect ed by Shalmaneser III and t he reliefs depict scenes of t ribut e bearing as
well as t he depict ion of t wo subdued rulers, Jehu t he Israelit e, and Sua t he Gilzanean, making
gest ures of submission t o t he king. The reliefs on t he obelisk have accompanying epigraphs, but
besides t hese t he obelisk also possesses a longer inscript ion t hat records one of t he lat est
versions of Shalmaneser III's annals, covering t he period from his accessional year t o his 33rd
regnal year.

The Broken Obelisk, t hat was also discovered by Rassam at Nineveh. Only t he t op of t his
monolit h has been reconst ruct ed in t he Brit ish Museum. The obelisk is t he oldest recorded
obelisk from Assyria, dat ing t o t he 11t h cent ury BCE.[26]
Ancient Roman
The Romans commissioned obelisks in an ancient Egypt ian st yle. Examples include:

Arles, France – Arles Obelisk, in Place de

la République, a 4th-century obelisk of
Roman origin
Benevento, Italy – Domitian
Obelisk[27][28]
Munich, Germany – Obelisk of Titus
Sextius Africanus, at Staatliche
Sammlung für Ägyptische Kunst,
1st century CE, 5.8 metres (19 ft)
Rome – there are five, see List of
obelisks in Rome
Byzantine

The Walled Obelisk in Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, Turkey – Walled Obelisk, at

Hippodrome of Constantinople (now
Sultan Ahmet Square), built by
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (905–
959) and originally covered with gilded
bronze plaques

Pre-Columbian
The prehist oric Tello Obelisk, found in 1919 at Chavín de Huantar in Peru, is a monolit h st ele wit h
obelisk-like proport ions. It is 2.52 met res t all and was carved in a design of low relief wit h Chavín
symbols, such as bands of t eet h and animal heads. Long housed in t he Museo Nacional de
Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú in Lima, it was relocat ed t o t he Museo Nacional de
Chavín , which opened in July 2008. The obelisk was named for t he archeologist Julio C. Tello,
who discovered it and was considered t he 'fat her of Peruvian archeology'. He was America's first
indigenous archeologist .[29]

Modern obelisks

As commemorative monuments
Egypt ian obelisks remain a source of fascinat ion, serving as a reminder of past glories and a
symbol of st at e power. A majorit y of modern obelisks are built of masonry or concret e, so not
monolit hic like t heir Egypt ian count erpart s, and are oft en oversized. Examples from t he 19t h and
20t h cent uries include t he St one of t he Empress (1835) in Helsinki,[30] t he Wellingt on Monument
(1861) in Dublin, t he Washingt on Monument (1884) in Washingt on, D.C.,[31] t he Obelisk of Buenos
Aires (1936) in Buenos Aires,[32] t he Monument t o t he People's Heroes (1958) in Tiananmen
Square, Beijing and t he Nat ional Monument (1975) in Jakart a. A few, however, cont inue t he
ancient t radit ion of t he monolit hic obelisk.

Modern obelisks
 The The The The The
Wellingt Brother Stone Washin High
on s of the gton Point
Monum Broglie Empre Monu Monum
ent in Obelisk ss by ment in ent in
Dublin, at the Carl Washin New
Ireland, Monre Ludvig gton, Jersey,
built pos Engel, D.C., U.S.,
between Park in erecte U.S., built in
1817 Vyborg d in built 1930 as
and , 1835 betwee a
1861 to Russia, to n 1848 comme
1861 to Russia, to n 1848 comme
comme erecte comm and morativ
morate d in emora 1884 e war
the 1827 te to memori
victories Empre comm al
of ss emorat
Arthur Alexan e
Wellesle dra George
y, 1st Feodor Washin
Duke of ovna gton
Wellingt of
on Russia,
at the
Market
Square
in
Helsin
ki,
Finlan
d
 The The The The
Obelisk Monu Nation Juche
of ment al Tower
Buenos to the Monu in
Aires, People' ment in Pyongy
Argentin s Jakart ang,
a, Heroes a, North
erected in Indone Korea,
in 1936 Tianan sia, comple
to men built ted in
comme Square, betwee 1982 to
morate Beijing, n 1961 comme
morate Beijing, n 1961 comme
the China, and morate
quadric built 1975 the
entennia betwee to 70th
l of the n 1952 comm birthda
foundati and emorat y of
on of 1958 e the Kim Il
the city to struggl Sung
comme e for and the
morate Indone ideolog
the sian y of
martyr indepe Juche
s of ndence
revoluti
onary
struggl
e in the
19th
 and
20th
centuri
es

Others usages
In Rome, t he Via della Conciliazione, cleared in 1936–1950 t o link Saint Pet er's Basilica t o t he
cent re of t he capit al is lined wit h obelisks serving as lamppost s.

In France and ot her European count ries, monument s t o t he dead, such as headst ones and grave
markers, were very oft en given a form of obelisks, but t hey are of more modest size. The
pract ice is also st ill widespread in t he Islamic world.

Modern obelisks have also been used in surveying as boundary markers.

 A view from Grave of Grave of
ground level of Ludwig Jean-
the Via della van Baptiste
Conciliazione in Beethove Hubert
Rome, Italy n (1770– (1781–
1827) in 1845) in
the the
central cemetery
cemetery of Yves,
of Charente
Vienna, -
A ti M iti
 Austria Maritime,
France

Tomb of Abraham
Lincoln in Oak
Ridge Cemetery in
Springfield, Illinois,
U.S.
Transportation and erection
experiments
In lat e summer 1999, Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner t eamed up wit h a NOVA crew t o erect a
25-t on obelisk. This was t he t hird at t empt t o erect a 25-t on obelisk; t he first t wo, in 1994 and
1999, ended in failure. There were also t wo successful at t empt s t o raise a 2-t on obelisk and a 9-
t on obelisk. Finally in August –Sept ember 1999, aft er learning from t heir experiences, t hey were
able t o erect one successfully. First Hopkins and Rais Abdel Aleem organized an experiment t o
t ow a block of st one weighing about 25 t ons. They prepared a pat h by embedding wooden rails
int o t he ground and placing a sledge on t hem bearing a megalit h weighing about 25 t ons. Init ially
t hey used more t han 100 people t o t ry t o t ow it but were unable t o budge it . Finally, wit h well
over 130 people pulling at once and an addit ional dozen using levers t o prod t he sledge forward,
t hey moved it . Over t he course of a day, t he workers t owed it 10–20 feet . Despit e problems
wit h broken ropes, t hey proved t he monument could be moved t his way.[33] Addit ional
experiment s were done in Egypt and ot her locat ions t o t ow megalit hic st one wit h ancient
t echnologies, some of which are list ed here.

One experiment was t o t ransport a small obelisk on a barge in t he Nile River. The barge was built
based on ancient Egypt ian designs. It had t o be very wide t o handle t he obelisk, wit h a 2 t o 1
rat io lengt h t o widt h, and it was at least t wice as long as t he obelisk. The obelisk was about 3.0
met res (10 ft ) long and no more t han 5 met ric t ons (5.5 short t ons). A barge big enough t o
t ransport t he largest Egypt ian obelisks wit h t his rat io would have had t o be close t o 61-met re-
long (200 ft ) and 30-met re-wide (100 ft ). The workers used ropes t hat were wrapped around a
guide t hat enabled t hem t o pull away from t he river while t hey were t owing it ont o t he barge.
The barge was successfully launched int o t he Nile.

The final and successful erect ion event was organized by Rick Brown, Hopkins, Lehner and Gregg
Mullen in a Massachuset t s quarry. The preparat ion work was done wit h modern t echnology, but
experiment s have proven t hat wit h enough t ime and people, it could have been done wit h ancient
t echnology. To begin, t he obelisk was lying on a gravel and st one ramp. A pit in t he middle was
filled wit h dry sand. Previous experiment s showed t hat wet sand would not flow as well. The
ramp was secured by st one walls. Men raised t he obelisk by slowly removing t he sand while t hree
crews of men pulled on ropes t o cont rol it s descent int o t he pit . The back wall was designed t o
guide t he obelisk int o it s proper place. The obelisk had t o cat ch a t urning groove which would
prevent it from sliding. They used brake ropes t o prevent it from going t oo far. Such t urning
grooves had been found on t he ancient pedest als. Gravit y did most of t he work unt il t he final 15°
had t o be complet ed by pulling t he obelisk forward. They used brake ropes again t o make sure it
did not fall forward. On 12 Sept ember t hey complet ed t he project .[34]

This experiment has been used t o explain how t he obelisks may have been erect ed in Luxor and
ot her locat ions. It seems t o have been support ed by a 3,000 year-old papyrus scroll in which one
scribe t aunt s anot her t o erect a monument for "t hy lord". The scroll reads "Empt y t he space t hat
has been filled wit h sand beneat h t he monument of t hy Lord."[35] To erect t he obelisks at Luxor
wit h t his met hod would have involved using over a million cubic met ers of st one, mud brick and
sand for bot h t he ramp and t he plat form used t o lower t he obelisk.[36] The largest obelisk
successfully erect ed in ancient t imes weighed 455 met ric t ons (502 short t ons). A 520-met ric-
t on (570-short -t on) st ele was found in Axum, but researchers believe it was broken while
at t empt ing t o erect it .

See also

List of megalithic sites Architecture

portal
List of Egyptian obelisks
List of modern obelisks
List of obelisks in Rome
List of pre-Columbian engineering
projects in the Americas
 Phallic architecture
Dagger (mark), also known as obelisk
Washington Monument

Notes

1. ὀβελίσκος (https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/
hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.005
7:entry=o)beli/skos) . Liddell, Henry
George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English
Lexicon at the Perseus Project.

2. Harper, Douglas. "obelisk" (https://www.ety

monline.com/?term=obelisk) . Online
Etymology Dictionary.

3. οβελός (https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/ho
pper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:
entry=o)belo/s) in Liddell and Scott.
4. Random House (2005). Random House
Webster's college dictionary. Random
House Reference, New York. p. 847.
ISBN 9780375426001. "1. n. a tapering,
four-sided shaft of stone, usu. monolithic
and having a pyramidal apex."

5. Baker, Rosalie F.; Baker, Charles (2001).

Ancient Egyptians: People of the pyramids
(https://archive.org/details/ancientegyptian
s0000bake) . Oxford University Press. p. 69
(https://archive.org/details/ancientegyptian
s0000bake/page/69) . ISBN 978-
0195122213. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
"Tekhenu egyptian"
6. Edward Chaney,' "Thy pyramyds buylt up
with newer might":Shakespeare and the
Cultural Memory of Ancient Egypt'
Aegyptiaca. Journal of the History of
Reception of Ancient Egypt (5), 263–344 [1]
(https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/inde
x.php/aegyp/article/view/76145)

7. "Befreiungskriege (Gertraudenfriedhof) |
Halle im Bild" (https://www.halle-im-bild.d
e/fotos/gedenksteine-staetten/befreiungsk
riege-gertraudenfriedhof) . www.halle-im-
bild.de. Retrieved 23 January 2023.

8. "A World of Obelisks: Cairo" (https://www.p

bs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/raising/cairo.htm
l) . NOVA Online: Mysteries of the Nile.
PBS. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
 9. Griffith, Francis Llewellyn (1911). "Obelisk"
(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyc
lop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Obelisk) . In
Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia
Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge
University Press. p. 945.

10. Blackwell Gary, Patricia; Talcott, Richard

(June 2006). "Stargazing in Ancient Egypt"
(http://www.astronomy.com/~/media/impo
rt/files/pdf/8/6/c/august_2010_we_starga
zing-in-ancient-egypt.pdf) (PDF).
Astronomy. pp. 62–67. Retrieved
30 January 2021.
11. Lacovara, Petere (2018). "Pyramids and
Obelisks beyond Egypt" (https://journals.ub.
uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/aegyp/article/
view/48018/41478) . Aegyptiaca (2): 130.
doi:10.11588/aegyp.2018.2.48018 (https://
doi.org/10.11588%2Faegyp.2018.2.4801
8) . Retrieved 17 June 2019.

12. Tormod, Eide, ed. (1996). Fontes historiae

Nubiorum: Textual Sources for the History
of the Middle Nile region between the
eighth century BC and the sixth century AD.
Vol. 1. University of Bergen, Dept. of
Classics, Bergen, 1994. p. 54.
ISBN 9788291626017.
13. Lacovara, Petere (2018). "Pyramids and
obelisks beyond Egypt" (https://journals.ub.
uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/aegyp/article/
view/48018/41478) . Aegyptiaca (2): 131–
135. doi:10.11588/aegyp.2018.2.48018 (ht
tps://doi.org/10.11588%2Faegyp.2018.2.4
8018) . Retrieved 17 June 2019.

14. "A World of Obelisks: Rome" (https://www.p

bs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/raising/rome.htm
l) . NOVA Online: Mysteries of the Nile.
PBS. Retrieved 14 June 2013.

15. Lees-Milne, James (1967). Saint Peter's.

16. "Della trasportatione dellªobelisco Vaticano
et delle fabriche di Nostro Signore Papa
Sisto ..." (http://purl.pt/6256/1/index.html)
purl.pt.
17. "Della trasportatione dell'obelisco vaticano
et delle fabriche di nostro signore papa
Sisto V fatte dal cavallier Domenico
Fontana, architetto di Sva Santita, libro
primo" (http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldig
ital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?parent_id=3509
16&word=) . NYPL Digital Collections.
Retrieved 21 August 2015.

18. Fontana, Domenico (1590). "Moving the

Obelisk" (https://web.archive.org/web/201
20315090244/http://www.martayanlan.co
m/cgi-bin/display.cgi/Books/5/28/25/60
6) . Martayan Lan Rare Books. Rome, IT:
Domenico Basa. Archived from the original
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2012. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
19. Fontana, Domenico (1590). Della
trasportatione dell'obel. Zürich (NEBIS):
ETH-Bibliothek – e-rara. doi:10.3931/e-rara-
117 (https://doi.org/10.3931%2Fe-rara-11
7) .

20. "Caesarea Obelisk" (http://highskyblue.web.

fc2.com/caesarea.htm) .
Highskyblue.web.fc2.com. 18 June 2001.
Retrieved 14 June 2013.

21. Habachi, Labib (1985). The Obelisks of

Egypt: Skyscrapers of the past. American
University in Cairo Press. pp. 145–151.
ISBN 978-9774240225.

22. "A World of Obelisks: Istanbul" (https://ww

w.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/raising/istanb
ul.html) . NOVA Online: Mysteries of the
Nile. PBS. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
23. "A World of Obelisks: World" (https://www.p
bs.org/wgbh/nova/egypt/raising/world.htm
l) . NOVA Online | Mysteries of the Nile.
PBS. Retrieved 14 June 2013.

24. Brier, Bob (2018). "The secret life of the

Paris obelisk" (https://journals.ub.uni-heidel
berg.de/index.php/aegyp/article/view/479
45/41416) . Aegyptiaca (2): 75–91.
doi:10.11588/aegyp.2018.2.47945 (https://
doi.org/10.11588%2Faegyp.2018.2.4794
5) . Retrieved 18 June 2019.

25. "Rassam Obelisk" (https://www.britishmuse

um.org/research/collection_online/collectio
n_object_details.aspx?objectId=366799&pa
rtId=1&searchText=Rassam+Obelisk&page
=1) . British Museum. Collection object
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26. "Broken Obelisk" (https://www.britishmuseu
m.org/research/collection_online/collection
_object_details.aspx?objectId=277955&par
tId=1&searchText=Broken+Obelisk&page=
1) . British Museum. Collection object
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27. "museodelsannio.com" (https://web.archiv

e.org/web/20141006075213/http://www.
museodelsannio.com/museo/sezioni/isid
e/obelisco.htm) . Archived from the
original (http://www.museodelsannio.com/
museo/sezioni/iside/obelisco.htm) on 6
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28. "Domitian Obelisk (In Piazza Papiniano,

Benevento)" (http://www.obelisks.org/en/b
enevento.htm) . obelisks.org. Retrieved
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29. Burger, Richard L. The Life and Writings of
Julio C. Tello (http://www.uiowapress.org/b
ooks/2009-spring/burger.htm) . University
of Iowa Press. Retrieved 27 September
2010.

30. The Stone of the Empress - My Helsinki (htt

ps://www.myhelsinki.fi/en/see-and-do/sigh
ts/the-stone-of-the-empress)

31. Marking a people's love (https://timesmachi

ne.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1885/02/2
2/103628255.pdf) , an article from The
New York Times published February 22,
1885.

32. Julio A. Luqui Lagleyze, Plazas de Buenos

Aires, Revista Todo es Historia, Nro 90,
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33. "Dispatches" (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/n
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34. "Mysteries of the Nile | August 27, 1999:

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35. NOVA (TV series) Secrets of Lost Empire II:

"Pharaoh's Obelisks"

36. Time Life Lost Civilizations series:

Ramses II: Magnificence on the Nile, New
York: TIME/Life, 1993, pp. 56–57
References

Curran, Brian A., Anthony Grafton,

Pamela O. Long, and Benjamin Weiss.
Obelisk: A History. Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-262-51270-1.
Chaney, Edward, "Roma Britannica and
the Cultural Memory of Egypt: Lord
Arundel and the Obelisk of Domitian", in
Roma Britannica: Art Patronage and
Cultural Exchange in Eighteenth-Century
Rome, eds. D. Marshall, K. Wolfe and S.
Russell, British School at Rome, 2011,
pp. 147–70.
Edward Chaney,' "Thy pyramyds buylt up
with newer might":Shakespeare and the
Cultural Memory of Ancient Egypt'
Aegyptiaca. Journal of the History of
Reception of Ancient Egypt (5), 263–344
[2] (https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.d
e/index.php/aegyp/article/view/76145)
Iversen, Erik, Obelisks in exile.
Copenhagen, Vol. 1 1968, Vol. 2 1972
Wirsching, Armin, Obelisken
transportieren und aufrichten in Aegypten
und in Rom. Norderstedt: Books on
Demand 2007 (3rd ed. 2013), ISBN 978-
3-8334-8513-8
External links

Obelisks of the World Wikimedia

Commons
(http://www.obelisks.or
has media
g/en/index.htm) related to
Obelisks .
Obelisks of Rome (http
s://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Ga
zetteer/Places/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rom
a/Rome/_Texts/PLATOP*/obelisci.htm
l) (series of articles in Platner's A
Topographical Dictionary of Ancient
Rome 1929)

History of the obelisk of Arles (https://w

eb.archive.org/web/20051014122437/ht
tp://www.memo.fr/LieuAVisiter.asp?ID=
VIS_FRA_ARL_036) (in French)
Octavo Edition of Domenico Fontana's
book (https://archive.today/2012120921
4626/http://www.octavo.com/editions/f
taobc/index.html) depicting how he
erected the Vatican obelisk in 1586.
National Geographic: "Researchers Lift
Obelisk With Kite to Test Theory on
Ancient Pyramids" (https://web.archive.o
rg/web/20010710213400/http://news.n
ationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/
0628_caltechobelisk.html)
Obelisk of Psametik II from Heliopolis,
removed and reerected by Augustus in
 the northern Campus Martius, Rome (htt
p://cdm.reed.edu/ara-pacis/altar/relate
d-material/obelisk-1/)

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"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Obelisk&oldid=1213069101"

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