Obelisk

One of the two Luxor obelisks, in 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).

An obelisk (/ˈɒbəlɪsk/; from Ancient Greek: ὀβελίσκος obeliskos;[1][2] diminutive of ὀβελός obelos, "spit, nail, pointed pillar"[3]) is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. These were originally called tekhenu by their builders, the Ancient Egyptians. The Greeks who saw them used the Greek term 'obeliskos' to describe them, and this word passed into Latin and ultimately English.[4] Ancient obelisks are monolithic; that is, they consist of a single stone. Most modern obelisks are made of several stones; some, like the Washington Monument, are buildings.

The term stele is generally used for other monumental, upright, inscribed and sculpted stones.

Ancient obelisks

Egyptian

Pylon of the Temple of Luxor with the remaining obelisk (of two) in front (the second is in the Place de la Concorde in Paris).
Obelisk of Pharaoh Senusret I, Al-Maalla area of Al-Matariyyah district in modern Heliopolis.

Obelisks were prominent in the architecture of the ancient Egyptians, who placed them in pairs at the entrance of the temples. The word "obelisk" as used in English today is of Greek rather than Egyptian origin because Herodotus, the Greek traveller, was one of the first classical writers to describe the objects. A number of ancient Egyptian obelisks are known to have survived, plus the "Unfinished Obelisk" found partly hewn from its quarry at Aswan. These obelisks are now dispersed around the world, and fewer than half of them remain in Egypt.

The earliest temple obelisk still in its original position is the 68-foot (20.7 m) 120-metric-ton (130-short-ton)[5] red granite Obelisk of Senusret I of the XIIth Dynasty at Al-Matariyyah in modern Heliopolis.[6]

The obelisk symbolized the sun god Ra, and during the brief religious reformation of Akhenaten was said to be a petrified ray of the Aten, the sundisk. It was also thought that the god existed within the structure.

Benben was the mound that arose from the primordial waters Nu upon which the creator god Atum settled in the creation story of the Heliopolitan creation myth form of Ancient Egyptian religion. The Benben stone (also known as a pyramidion) is the top stone of the Egyptian pyramid. It is also related to the Obelisk.

It is hypothesized by New York University Egyptologist Patricia Blackwell Gary and Astronomy senior editor Richard Talcott that the shapes of the ancient Egyptian pyramid and obelisk were derived from natural phenomena associated with the sun (the sun-god Ra being the Egyptians' greatest deity).[7] The pyramid and obelisk might have been inspired by previously overlooked astronomical phenomena connected with sunrise and sunset: the zodiacal light and sun pillars respectively.

The Ancient Romans were strongly influenced by the obelisk form, to the extent that there are now more than twice as many obelisks standing in Rome as remain in Egypt. All fell after the Roman period except for the Vatican obelisk and were re-erected in different locations.

The largest standing and tallest Egyptian obelisk is the Lateran Obelisk in the square at the west side of the Lateran Basilica in Rome at 105.6 feet (32.2 m) tall and a weight of 455 metric tons (502 short tons).[8]

Not all the Egyptian obelisks in the Roman Empire were set up at Rome. Herod the Great imitated his Roman patrons and set up a red granite Egyptian obelisk in the hippodrome of his new city Caesarea in northern Judea. This one is about 40 feet (12 m) tall and weighs about 100 metric tons (110 short tons).[9] It was discovered by archaeologists and has been re-erected at its former site.

In Constantinople, the Eastern Emperor Theodosius shipped an obelisk in AD 390 and had it set up in his hippodrome, where it has weathered Crusaders and Seljuks and stands in the Hippodrome square in modern Istanbul. This one stood 95 feet (29 m) tall and weighing 380 metric tons (420 short tons). Its lower half reputedly also once stood in Istanbul but is now lost. The Istanbul obelisk is 65 feet (20 m) tall.[10]

Rome is the obelisk capital of the world. The most well-known is probably the 25 metres (82 ft), 331-metric-ton (365-short-ton) obelisk at Saint Peter's Square in Rome.[8] The obelisk had stood since AD 37 on its site on the wall of the Circus of Nero, flanking St Peter'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."[11]

Re-erecting the obelisk had daunted even Michelangelo, but Sixtus V was determined to erect it in front of St Peter's, of which the nave was yet to be built. He had a full-sized wooden mock-up erected within months of his election. Domenico Fontana, the assistant of Giacomo Della Porta in the Basilica's construction, presented the Pope with a little model crane of wood and a heavy little obelisk of lead, which Sixtus himself was able to raise by turning a little winch with his finger. Fontana was given the project.

The obelisk, half-buried in the debris of the ages, was first excavated as it stood; then it took from 30 April to 17 May 1586 to move it on rollers to the Piazza: it required nearly 1000 men, 140 carthorses, and 47 cranes. The re-erection, scheduled for 14 September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, was watched by a large crowd. It was a famous feat of engineering, which made the reputation of Fontana, who detailed it in a book illustrated with copperplate etchings, Della Trasportatione dell'Obelisco Vaticano et delle Fabriche di Nostro Signore Papa Sisto V (1590),[12][13] which itself set a new standard in communicating technical information and influenced subsequent architectural publications by its meticulous precision.[14] Before being re-erected the obelisk was exorcised. It is said that Fontana had teams of relay horses to make his getaway if the enterprise failed. When Carlo Maderno came to build the Basilica's nave, he had to put the slightest kink in its axis, to line it precisely with the obelisk.

Three more obelisks were erected in Rome under Sixtus V: the one behind Santa Maria Maggiore (1587), the giant obelisk at the Lateran Basilica (1588), and the one at Piazza del Popolo (1589).[15]

An obelisk stands in front of the church of Trinità dei Monti, at the head of the Spanish Steps. Another obelisk in Rome is sculpted as carried on the back of an elephant. Rome lost one of its obelisks, the Boboli obelisk which had decorated the temple of Isis, where it was uncovered in the 16th century. The Medici claimed it for the Villa Medici, but in 1790 they moved it to the Boboli Gardens attached to the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, and left a replica in its stead.

Several more Egyptian obelisks have been re-erected elsewhere. The best-known examples outside Rome are the pair of 21-metre (69 ft) 187-metric-ton (206-short-ton) Cleopatra's Needles in London (21 metres or 69 feet) and New York City (21 metres or 70 feet) and the 23-metre (75 ft) 227-metric-ton (250-short-ton) obelisk at the Place de la Concorde in Paris.[16]

Tip of Hatshepsut's fallen obelisk, Karnak Temple Complex, Luxor, Egypt
The Obelisk of Tuthmosis III, Istanbul, Turkey
The Dutch Golden Age painter Bartholomeus Breenbergh placed an obelisk in the background of his 1655 painting Joseph Sells Grain

There are ancient Egyptian obelisks in the following locations:

Assyrian

Obelisk monuments are also known from the Assyrian civilization, where they were erected as public monuments that commemorated the achievements of the Assyrian king.

The British Museum possesses four Assyrian obelisks:

The White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I (named due to its colour), was discovered by Hormuzd Rassam in 1853 at Nineveh. The obelisk was erected by either Ashurnasirpal I (1050–1031 BC) or Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 BC). The obelisk bears an inscription that refers to the king’s seizure of goods, people and herds, which he carried back to the city of Ashur. The reliefs of the Obelisk depict military campaigns, hunting, victory banquets and scenes of tribute bearing.

The Rassam Obelisk, named after its discoverer Hormuzd Rassam, was found on the citadel of Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). It was erected by Ashurnasirpal II, though only survives in fragments. The surviving parts of the reliefs depict scenes of tribute bearing to the king from Syria and the west.[19]

The Black Obelisk was discovered by Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1846 on the citadel of Kalhu. The obelisk was erected by Shalmaneser III and the reliefs depict scenes of tribute bearing as well as the depiction of two subdued rulers, Jehu the Israelite and Sua the Gilzanean, giving gestures of submission to the king. The reliefs on the obelisk have accompanying epigraphs, but besides these the obelisk also possesses a longer inscription that records one of the latest versions of Shalmaneser III’s annals, covering the period from his accessional year to his 33rd regnal year.

The Broken Obelisk, that was also discovered by Rassam at Nineveh. Only the top of this monolith has been reconstructed in the British Museum. The obelisk is the oldest recorded obelisk from Assyria, dating to the 11th century BC.[20]

Axumite (Ethiopia)

A number of obelisks were carved in the ancient Axumite Kingdom of today northern Ethiopia. Together with (21-metre-high or 69-foot) King Ezana's Stele, the last erected one and the only unbroken, the most famous example of axumite obelisk is the so-called (24-metre-high or 79-footh) Obelisk of Axum. It was carved around the 4th century AD and, in the course of time, it collapsed and broke into three parts. In these conditions it was found by Italian soldiers in 1935, after the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, looted and taken to Rome in 1937, where it stood in the Piazza di Porta Capena. Italy agreed in a 1947 UN agreement to return the obelisk but did not affirm its agreement until 1997, after years of pressure and various controversial settlements. In 2003 the Italian government made the first steps toward its return, and in 2008 it was finally re-erected.

The largest known obelisk, the Great Stele at Axum, now fallen, at 33 metres (108 ft) high and 3 m (9.8 ft) by 2 m (6 ft 7 in) at the base (520 metric tons or 570 short tons)[21] is one of the largest single pieces of stone ever worked in human history (the largest is either at Baalbek or the Ramesseum) and probably fell during erection or soon after, destroying a large part of the massive burial chamber underneath it. The obelisks, properly termed stelae or the native hawilt or hawilti as they do not end in a pyramid, were used to mark graves and underground burial chambers. The largest of the grave markers were for royal burial chambers and were decorated with multi-storey false windows and false doors, while nobility would have smaller less decorated ones. While there are only a few large ones standing, there are hundreds of smaller ones in "stelae fields".

Ancient Roman

The Walled Obelisk in Sultanahmet Square

The Romans commissioned obelisks in an ancient Egyptian style. Examples include:

Byzantine

  • Walled Obelisk, Hippodrome of Constantinople. Built by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (905–959) and originally covered with gilded bronze plaques.

Pre-Columbian

The prehistoric Tello Obelisk, found in 1919 at Chavín de Huantar in Peru, is a monolith stele with obelisk-like proportions. It was carved in a design of low relief with Chavín symbols, such as bands of teeth and animal heads. Long housed in the Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú in Lima, it was relocated to the Museo Nacional de Chavín, which opened in July 2008. The obelisk was named for the archeologist Julio C. Tello, who discovered it and was considered the "father of Peruvian archeology." He was America's first indigenous archeologist.[24]

Modern obelisks

(Listed in date order)

17th century

Obelisk name Image Location Country Elevation Completed Coordinates Notes
m ft
Fontaine des Quatre DauphinsAix-en-ProvenceFrance166743°31′35″N 5°26′44″E / 43.52639°N 5.44556°E / 43.52639; 5.44556

18th century

Obelisk name Image Location Country Elevation Completed Coordinates Notes
m ft
Market Square obeliskRiponUnited Kingdom24 801702The first large scale obelisk in Britain.[25]
Stillorgan ObeliskStillorgan, DublinIreland30 1001727
St Luke ChurchLondonUnited Kingdomcirca 1727–33spire by Nicholas Hawksmoor
Boyne Obelisknear Drogheda, County LouthIreland53 1741736To commemorate William of Orange's victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 (destroyed in 1923, only the base remains).
Conolly's FollyCelbridge, County KildareIreland1740
Killiney Hill ObeliskKilliney, County DublinIreland1742
Mamhead obeliskMamheadUnited Kingdom30 1001742–1745An aid to shipping.[26]
General Wolfe's ObeliskStowe School, BuckinghamshireUnited Kingdom1754
Montreal Park ObeliskRiverhead, Sevenoaks, KentUnited Kingdom1761Lord Jeffery Amherst's Obelisk.[27]
St George's Circus ObeliskSt George's Circus, LondonUnited Kingdom1771Obelisk by Robert Mylne
Kagul ObeliskTsarskoe SeloRussia1772
Chesma ObeliskGatchinaRussia1775
Villa MediciRomeItaly1790A 19th-century copy of the Egyptian obelisk moved to the Boboli Gardens in Florence
Obelisk FountainJames St., DublinIreland1790
Constable ObeliskGatchina Palace, GatchinaRussia1793
Moore-Vallotton Incident markerWexfordIreland1793[28]
Rumyantsev ObeliskSt PetersburgRussia1799
Obelisk at SlottsbackenStockholmSweden1800

19th century

Obelisk name Image Location Country Elevation Completed Coordinates Notes
m ft
Nelson memorialSpringfield Park Liverpool, EnglandUnited Kingdomcirca 1805
St. Emmeram's Palace ObeliskRegensburg, BavariaGermanycirca 1810
Constitution ObeliskSt. Augustine, FloridaUnited States1814In commemoration of the Spanish Constitution of 1812
Brightling NeedleBrightling, East SussexUnited Kingdom20 65circa 1815[29]
Patriots' Grave, Old Burying GroundArlington, MassachusettsUnited States181842°24′58″N 71°09′31″W / 42.41611°N 71.15861°W / 42.41611; -71.15861
George IV MonumentDún Laoghaire, County DublinIreland1823
Blantyre MonumentErskine, RenfrewshireUnited Kingdom24 80circa 1825[30]
Captain Cook's MonumentEasby Moor, Great Ayton, North YorkshireUnited Kingdom15.5 511827[31]
Groton MonumentFort Griswold, Groton, ConnecticutUnited States41 135183041°21′18″N 72°4′46″W / 41.35500°N 72.07944°W / 41.35500; -72.07944[32]
Bunker Hill MonumentCharlestown, MassachusettsUnited States67 2211827-4342°22′35″N 71°03′41″W / 42.37639°N 71.06139°W / 42.37639; -71.06139[33]
Spencer MonumentBlata l-BajdaMalta1831
(relocated 1893)
35°53′17″N 14°29′53″E / 35.88806°N 14.49806°E / 35.88806; 14.49806[34]
Thomas Jefferson Obelisk, MonticelloCharlottesville, VirginiaUnited States183338°00′37″N 78°27′08″W / 38.01028°N 78.45222°W / 38.01028; -78.45222Erected by his family, Jefferson had willed that only three achievements be sketched onto it: Author of the Declaration of Independence, author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and father of the University of Virginia.[35]
Obelisk of Lions, Copou ParkIașiRomania13.5 44183447°10′43″N 27°34′01″E / 47.17851°N 27.56691°E / 47.17851; 27.56691[36]
Villa TorloniaRomeItaly184241°54′50″N 12°30′43″E / 41.91389°N 12.51194°E / 41.91389; 12.51194Two obelisks
Reggio Emilia obeliskReggio Emilia, Emilia-RomagnaItaly184244°42′0″N 10°38′0″E / 44.70000°N 10.63333°E / 44.70000; 10.63333Commemorates marriage of Francis V, Duke of Modena to princess Adelgunde of Bavaria
Rutherford's MonumentAnwoth, ScotlandUnited Kingdom1842A memorial to Samuel Rutherford
Political Martyrs' MonumentCalton Hill, Edinburgh, ScotlandUnited Kingdom27 90184455°57′12″N 3°11′9″W / 55.95333°N 3.18583°W / 55.95333; -3.18583[37]
Lansdowne MonumentWiltshire, EnglandUnited Kingdom38 125184551°25′22″N 1°55′58″W / 51.4228°N 1.9327°W / 51.4228; -1.9327Erected by the 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne to commemorate Sir William Petty.[38]
The ObeliskNewcastle, New South WalesAustralia1850
Wellington MonumentWellington, SomersetUnited Kingdom53 175185450°56′53″N 3°13′45″W / 50.9480°N 3.2293°W / 50.9480; -3.2293[39]
Stoodley Pike MonumentTodmorden, West YorkshireUnited Kingdom37 121185653°42′51″N 2°2′33″W / 53.71417°N 2.04250°W / 53.71417; -2.04250[40]
Hyde Park ObeliskSydney, New South WalesAustralia22 72185733°52′29″S 151°12′36″E / 33.87472°S 151.21000°E / -33.87472; 151.21000[41]
Herndon MonumentAnnapolis, MarylandUnited States6.4 21186038°58′56″N 76°29′09″W / 38.9823°N 76.4859°W / 38.9823; -76.4859Erected by the US Naval Academy to commemorate the loss of William Lewis Herndon.
Obelisk of FontenoyFontenoy, Bourgogne-Franche-ComtéFrance1860
Wellington MonumentPhoenix Park, DublinIreland62 2031861The tallest in Europe.
Prince of Wales' ObeliskPort ElizabethSouth AfricaIntended for one George Kemp but erected to commemorate the marriage of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and Alexandra of Denmark in 1861. Originally on Market Square, now in front of the Bayworld Museum Complex.
Lincoln TombSpringfield, IllinoisUnited States36 117186539°49′24″N 89°39′21″W / 39.82333°N 89.65583°W / 39.82333; -89.65583[42]
Tyndale Monument
Tyndale Monument
34North Nibley, Gloucestershire, England34 1111866
Nicholson's ObeliskMargalla Hills, RawalpindiIslamabadPakistan12 401868[43]
Captain Cook ObeliskKurnell, New South WalesAustralia187034°00′17″S 151°13′03″E / 34.004667°S 151.217556°E / -34.004667; 151.217556[44]
Dauphin County Veteran's Memorial ObeliskHarrisburg, PennsylvaniaUnited States34 110187640°15′47″N 76°53′13″W / 40.26304°N 76.88681°W / 40.26304; -76.88681[45]
Washington MonumentWashington DCUnited States169 555188438°53′22″N 77°2′7″W / 38.88944°N 77.03528°W / 38.88944; -77.03528[46]
Oriskany Battlefield monumentRome, New YorkUnited States188443°10′7″N 75°22′8″W / 43.16861°N 75.36889°W / 43.16861; -75.36889[47]
Monument to the RestorersRestauradores Square, LisbonPortugal188638°42′57″N 9°8′30″W / 38.71583°N 9.14167°W / 38.71583; -9.14167Erected to celebrate the victory in the Portuguese Restoration War (1640–1668).
Ludwig van Beethoven's graveVienna Central CemeteryAustria1888
Bennington Battle MonumentBennington, VermontUnited States92 or 93 301 or 306188942°53′21″N 73°12′57″W / 42.88917°N 73.21583°W / 42.88917; -73.21583[48]
Monolith "The Obelisk"Villalar de los Comuneros, Castile and LeónSpain188941°33′0″N 5°8′0″W / 41.55000°N 5.13333°W / 41.55000; -5.13333
Dalhousie ObeliskRaffles Place, Central AreaSingapore18911°17′15″N 103°51′8″E / 1.28750°N 103.85222°E / 1.28750; 103.85222[49]
The Obelisk, Penn State UniversityUniversity Park, PennsylvaniaUnited States1896
Confederate War MemorialDallas, TexasUnited States189632°46′32″N 96°47′59″W / 32.77556°N 96.79972°W / 32.77556; -96.79972[50]

20th century

Obelisk name Image Location Country Elevation Completed Coordinates Notes
m ft
William Dudley Chipley MemorialPlaza Ferdinand VII, Pensacola, FloridaUnited States190130°26′N 87°12′W / 30.433°N 87.200°W / 30.433; -87.200
Sergeant Floyd MonumentSioux City, IowaUnited States190142°27′45″N 96°22′39″W / 42.46250°N 96.37750°W / 42.46250; -96.37750[51]
Joseph Smith Birthplace MemorialSouth Royalton, VermontUnited States15 50190543°49′25″N 72°28′23″W / 43.823473°N 72.47308°W / 43.823473; -72.47308[52]:118
McKinley MonumentNiagara Square, Buffalo, New YorkUnited States29 96190742°53′11″N 78°52′41″W / 42.88639°N 78.87806°W / 42.88639; -78.87806[53]
The Veterans' MonumentElizabethton, TennesseeUnited States1904Dedicated to American Civil War veterans from Carter County, Tennessee.
Finn's Point National Cemetery Pennsville Township, New Jersey United States 26 85 1910 Erected by the U.S. government in 1910 to memorialize Confederate soldiers buried at the cemetery.
Coronation MemorialCoronation Park, DelhiIndiaTo commemorate the founding of New Delhi in 1911 followed by other obelisks around the Rashtrapati Bhavan
Victory MemorialFort Recovery, OhioUnited States31 1011913[54]
Rizal MonumentLuneta Park, ManilaPhilippines12.7 42191314°34′54″N 120°58′36″E / 14.581669°N 120.976694°E / 14.581669; 120.976694built to commemorate the executed Filipino nationalist, José Rizal.
National Women's MonumentBloemfonteinSouth Africa191329°08′30″S 26°12′30″E / 29.1416°S 26.2083°E / -29.1416; 26.2083[55]
Ozark TrailVarious locations including Stroud, Oklahoma, Farwell, Dimmitt, Wellington, and Tulia, TexasUnited States1913Formerly a series of 21 obelisks
PAX MemorialWalmer, Port ElizabethSouth Africa6 201919A World War I memorial to local fallen soldiers.[56]
Flagler MonumentFlagler Monument Island, Miami Beach, FloridaUnited States34 110192025°47′7″N 80°9′10″W / 25.78528°N 80.15278°W / 25.78528; -80.15278[57]
Southport War MemorialLondon Square, Southport, Lancashire, EnglandUnited Kingdom20.6 67.51923
Veterans Memorial PlazaIndiana World War Memorial Plaza, Indianapolis, IndianaUnited States30 100192339°46′25″N 86°9′25″W / 39.77361°N 86.15694°W / 39.77361; -86.15694[58]
Jefferson Davis MonumentFairview, KentuckyUnited States107 3511924Commemorating the birthplace
of the President
of the Confederate States of America
Boer War MonumentKing's Domain, Melbourne, VictoriaAustralia23 751924[59]
Camp Merritt Memorial MonumentCresskill, New JerseyUnited States20 661924Monument dedicated to the soldiers who passed through Camp Merritt, New Jersey, en route to Europe in World War I, particularly those who died at the camp due to the influenza epidemic of 1918
Hobart CenotaphQueens Domain, Hobart, TasmaniaAustralia192542°52′39″S 147°20′10″E / 42.87750°S 147.33611°E / -42.87750; 147.33611A World War I memorial[60]
The Big Red AppleCornelia, GeorgiaUnited States2.4 8192534°30′49″N 83°31′51″W / 34.51361°N 83.53083°W / 34.51361; -83.53083A short square obelisk with the world's largest apple on top stands[61]
Prague Castle Obelisk
(or Monolith from Mrákotín)
Prague Castle, PragueCzech Republic15.42 50.6193050°5′25″N 14°24′1″E / 50.09028°N 14.40028°E / 50.09028; 14.40028
Obelisk of Montevideo
(or Obelisco a los Constituyentes de 1830)
Parque Batlle, MontevideoUruguay40 130193034°53′51″S 56°09′52″W / 34.8975°S 56.1644°W / -34.8975; -56.1644[62]
High Point MonumentHigh Point, Montague, New JerseyUnited States67 220193041°19′15″N 74°39′42″W / 41.32083°N 74.66167°W / 41.32083; -74.66167Located on top of New Jersey's highest point, 550 m (1,803 ft) above sea level.
Foro ItalicoLungotevere Maresciallo Diaz, RomeItaly193241°55′55″N 12°27′32″E / 41.93194°N 12.45889°E / 41.93194; 12.45889Erected to honour Benito Mussolini.
Paterson MonumentWindmill Point, George Town, TasmaniaAustralia193541°06′34″S 146°49′01″E / 41.10944°S 146.81694°E / -41.10944; 146.81694Erected to commemorate the 1804 landing of William Paterson (explorer).[63]
Obelisk of Buenos AiresSan Nicolás, Buenos AiresArgentina71.5 235193634°36′13″S 58°22′54″W / 34.60361°S 58.38167°W / -34.60361; -58.38167
Trujillo ObeliskSanto DomingoDominican Republic42 1371937
War MemorialFlorianaMalta193835°53′37″N 14°30′29″E / 35.89361°N 14.50806°E / 35.89361; 14.50806[64]
San Jacinto MonumentLa Porte, TexasUnited States172.92 567.3193929°45′00″N 95°04′51″W / 29.7499°N 95.0807°W / 29.7499; -95.0807[65][note 1]
Trylon and Perisphere1939 New York World's Fair, Flushing, New YorkUnited States190 620193940°44′47″N 73°50′42″W / 40.7463°N 73.8451°W / 40.7463; -73.8451Not a true obelisk, but an art deco variant.
Maungakiekie ObeliskOne Tree Hill, AucklandNew Zealand194036°54′0″S 174°46′59″E / 36.90000°S 174.78306°E / -36.90000; 174.78306[67]
Victory MonumentBangkokThailand194113°45′53″N 100°32′19″E / 13.76472°N 100.53861°E / 13.76472; 100.53861To commemorate the Thai victory in the Franco-Thai War, a brief conflict waged against the French colonial authorities in Indo-China, which resulted in Thailand annexing some territories in western Cambodia and northern and southern Laos. These were among the territories which the Kingdom of Siam had been forced to cede to France in 1893 and 1904, and patriotic Thais considered them rightfully to belong to Thailand.
Plaza Francia ObeliskAltamira, CaracasVenezuela194410°29′47″N 66°50′56″W / 10.49639°N 66.84889°W / 10.49639; -66.84889
Banská Bystrica ObeliskBanská BystricaSlovakia1945Commemorates the soldiers of the Red Army and those of the Romanian Army who fell while liberating the town.
Cenotaph on Leinster LawnLeinster House, DublinIreland18.28 60.0195053°20′26″N 6°15′14″W / 53.34055°N 6.254021°W / 53.34055; -6.254021Erected to commemorate the memories of Arthur Griffith, Michael Collins and Kevin O'Higgins;[68] and replaced an earlier temporary cenotaph, erected in 1923.[69]
Lucas Gusher ObeliskBeaumont, TexasUnited States1951Recognizes the 50th anniversary of the birth of the liquid fuel age as the Lucas Gusher came in at Spindletop on January 10, 1901.
Israel War of Independence MemorialSafedIsrael32°57′57″N 35°29′54″E / 32.96583°N 35.49833°E / 32.96583; 35.49833
Obelisk of São PauloSão PauloBrazil72 236195423°35′5″S 46°39′17″W / 23.58472°S 46.65472°W / -23.58472; -46.65472[70]
Monument to the abolition of slavery
(Monumento a la abolición de la esclavitud)
Abolition Park, PoncePuerto Rico30 100195618°00′21″N 66°36′46″W / 18.00583°N 66.61278°W / 18.00583; -66.61278[71]
Obelisk of La PazLa PazBolivia16°29′55″S 68°08′06″W / 16.49861°S 68.13500°W / -16.49861; -68.13500
Demidovsky PillarTsentralny City District, Barnaul, Altai KraiRussia14 4653°20′N 83°45′E / 53.333°N 83.750°E / 53.333; 83.750
Victory Obelisk
(Poklonnaya Hill Obelisk)
Poklonnaya Hill, MoscowRussia141.8 46555°43′54″N 37°30′24″E / 55.73167°N 37.50667°E / 55.73167; 37.50667[72]
Bayonet-Obelisk of the War MemorialBrest Fortress, BrestBelarus100 330197152°04′59″N 23°39′15″E / 52.082961°N 23.654251°E / 52.082961; 23.654251[73]
Trinity Nuclear Test Site ObeliskJornada del Muerto, Socorro, New MexicoUnited States3.7 12The location of the first atomic bomb explosion.[74]
Cairn to mark the Geographic Centre of North AmericaRugby, North DakotaUnited States4.6 151971The structure is more like a cairn sited near the geographical center of North America (Mexico, USA and Canada). The location of the geographical center is approximately 15 miles (24 km) for the location of the cairn.[75]
Pirulito da Praça SeteBelo Horizonte, Minas GeraisBrazil
Oregon TrailBoise, IdahoUnited States21 obelisks that mark the trail.[76][77]
Islamic Summit MinarLahore, PunjabPakistan47 1551974An obelisk-shape structure built to commemorate the Organisation of Islamic Conference.
Luxor HotelLas Vegas, NevadaUnited StatesThe obelisk stands in front of the hotel, a pyramid-shaped hotel along The Strip
Endicott, Triple Cities, New YorkUnited States1975An obelisk stands in front of radio talk show host Clint Ferro's boyhood home
Monumen NasionalMerdeka Square, JakartaIndonesia1975Symbolizing the fight for the independence of Indonesia
Juche TowerPyongyangNorth Korea170 560198239°1′4″N 125°45′48″E / 39.01778°N 125.76333°E / 39.01778; 125.76333
Leningrad Hero City ObeliskVosstaniya Square, Saint PetersburgRussia198559°55′52″N 30°21′43″E / 59.931°N 30.362°E / 59.931; 30.362
1948 Arab–Israeli War MemorialAd Halom, AshdodIsrael31°46′0″N 34°39′58″E / 31.76667°N 34.66611°E / 31.76667; 34.66611Memorial to Egypt's fallen soldiers[78]
Avis ObeliskAvis Farms Office Park, Pittsfield Township, MichiganUnited States199842°13′21″N 83°42′52″W / 42.22250°N 83.71444°W / 42.22250; -83.71444
Bahá'í House of WorshipBahá'í World Centre buildings, Mount Carmel, HaifaIsrael1971Marking the site of the future Bahá'í House of Worship.
Independence Monument ObeliskMaha Bandula Park, YangonMyanmar[79]

21st century

Obelisk name Image Location Country Elevation Completed Coordinates Notes
m ft
Capas National ShrineTarlac provincePhilippines70 230200315°20′56″N 120°32′43″E / 15.34891°N 120.545246°E / 15.34891; 120.545246
Kolonna EternaSan GwannMalta6200335°54′35″N 14°28′36″E / 35.90972°N 14.47667°E / 35.90972; 14.47667Egyptian obelisk by Paul Vella Critien[80]
Colonna MediterraneaLuqaMalta3.0 10200635°51′38″N 14°29′3″E / 35.86056°N 14.48417°E / 35.86056; 14.48417Abstract art by Paul Vella Critien[81]
Plaza Salcedo ObeliskVigan, Ilocos SurPhilippines17°34′N 120°23′E / 17.567°N 120.383°E / 17.567; 120.383
CycliskSanta Rosa, CaliforniaUnited States20 65 Made of 350 bicycles
Obelisco NovecentoRomeItaly2004Sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro
Armed Forces Memorial National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire United Kingdom 2007
Särkynyt lyhtyTornio, LaplandFinland9 30Made of stainless steel

Erection experiments

In late summer 1999, Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner teamed up with a NOVA (TV series) crew to erect a 25-ton obelisk. This was the third attempt to erect a 25-ton obelisk; the first two, in 1994 and 1999, ended in failure. There were also two successful attempts to raise a two-ton obelisk and a nine-ton obelisk. Finally in August–September 1999, after learning from their experiences, they were able to erect one successfully.

First Hopkins and Rais Abdel Aleem organized an experiment to tow a block of stone weighing about 25 tons. They prepared a path by embedding wooden rails into the ground and placing a sledge on them bearing a megalith weighing about 25 tons. Initially they used more than 100 people to try to tow it but were unable to budge it. Finally, with well over 130 people pulling at once and an additional dozen using levers to prod the sledge forward, they moved it. Over the course of a day, the workers towed it 10 to 20 feet. Despite problems with broken ropes, they proved the monument could be moved this way.[82] Additional experiments were done in Egypt and other locations to tow megalithic stone with ancient technologies, some of which are listed here.

One experiment was to transport a small obelisk on a barge in the Nile River. The barge was built based on ancient Egyptian designs. It had to be very wide to handle the obelisk, with a 2 to 1 ratio length to width, and it was at least twice as long as the obelisk. The obelisk was about 3.0 metres (10 ft) long and no more than 5 metric tons (5.5 short tons). A barge big enough to transport the largest Egyptian obelisks with this ratio would have had to be close to 61-metre-long (200 ft) and 30-metre-wide (100 ft). The workers used ropes that were wrapped around a guide that enabled them to pull away from the river while they were towing it onto the barge. The barge was successfully launched into the Nile.

The final and successful erection event was organized by Rick Brown, Hopkins, Lehner and Gregg Mullen in a Massachusetts quarry. The preparation work was done with modern technology, but experiments have proven that with enough time and people, it could have been done with ancient technology. To begin, the obelisk was lying on a gravel and stone ramp. A pit in the middle was filled with dry sand. Previous experiments showed that wet sand would not flow as well. The ramp was secured by stone walls. Men raised the obelisk by slowly removing the sand while three crews of men pulled on ropes to control its descent into the pit. The back wall was designed to guide the obelisk into its proper place. The obelisk had to catch a turning groove which would prevent it from sliding. They used brake ropes to prevent it from going too far. Such turning grooves had been found on the ancient pedestals. Gravity did most of the work until the final 15° had to be completed by pulling the obelisk forward. They used brake ropes again to make sure it did not fall forward. On 12 September they completed the project.[83]

This experiment has been used to explain how the obelisks may have been erected in Luxor and other locations. It seems to have been supported by a 3,000-year-old papyrus scroll in which one scribe taunts another to erect a monument for "thy lord". The scroll reads "Empty the space that has been filled with sand beneath the monument of thy Lord."[84] To erect the obelisks at Luxor with this method would have involved using over a million cubic meters of stone, mud brick and sand for both the ramp and the platform used to lower the obelisk.[85] The largest obelisk successfully erected in ancient times weighed 455 metric tons (502 short tons). A 520-metric-ton (570-short-ton) stele was found in Axum, but researchers believe it was broken while attempting to erect it.

See also

Notes

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References

  1. Measured in 1991 from its footing to the top of its beacon. The footing is 1.41 ft (0.43 m) below the top of the roadway pavement and the top of the beacon is 3.61 feet (1.10 m) above the top of the star.[66]

Further reading

  • 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.
  • 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
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