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Image Dyn Associated name(s) Findspot Current location Material(s) Deco Base Hgt Ref in cm Old Kingdom (c. 2543 – 2120 BC) 4: Sneferu: Dashur, Red Pyramid: Dashur
The obelisk and its base contain a number of inscriptions. Two ancient inscriptions at the base of the shaft describe its original dedication in Rome, four inscriptions on the pedestal composed by Cardinal Silvio Antoniano describe its rededication in 1586, and lower down, in smaller script, is an acknowledgement of Domenico Fontana's role in the moving of the obelisk.
The body of the obelisk is four-sided, rectangular, and tapers from the base. [7]: 107 Each of the four sides is decorated. All four sides of the obelisk are carved with the same basic pattern, with slight differences in execution and the orientation of some elements. [1]: 6–7 Near the base of the obelisk, a head is carved on each side ...
It is nearly one-third larger than the largest ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected (the Lateran Obelisk in Rome); if finished it would have measured around 41.75 metres (137.0 ft) [6] and would have weighed nearly 1,090 tonnes (1,200 short tons), a weight equal to about 200 African elephants.
The unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk [citation needed] and is located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan, Egypt. It was studied in detail by Reginald Engelbach in 1922. [1] The unfinished obelisk in its quarry at Aswan, 1990
The Benben stone, named after the mound, was a sacred stone in the temple of Ra at Heliopolis (Egyptian: Annu or Iunu). It was the location on which the first rays of the sun fell. It is thought to have been the prototype for later obelisks, and the capstones of the great pyramids were based on its design.
The original idea to secure an Egyptian obelisk for New York City came from the March 1877 New York City newspaper accounts of the transporting of the London obelisk. The newspapers mistakenly attributed to a John Dixon the 1869 proposal of the Khedive of Egypt, Isma'il Pasha , to give the United States an obelisk as a gift for increased trade.
The Luxor Temple predated Ramesses II by about 150 years. During his reign, renovations were made that included the addition of the two obelisks. The obelisks were each carved from a single piece of red granite, quarried about 100 miles (160 km) south of Luxor in Aswan, transported on a specially designed barge, and lowered into place with ropes and sand.