6. obelisk
Return to *History 8 Egypt Vocabulary
An obelisk is a “tapered monolithic pillar, originally erected in pairs at the entrances of ancient Egyptian temples"(1). Obelisks often carried hieroglyphic inscriptions along their sides that included religious dedications and sometimes, dedications to the emperor. The production of Egyptian obelisks began in the 4th Dynasty. Unfortunately, however, there are no surviving 4th-Dynastic obelisks. The oldest surviving obelisk is from the reign of Sesostris I, during the Tweflth Dynasty of Egypt. After the Egyptian empire’s power began to dwindle and the Roman Empire rose to power, the Romans transported many of the obelisks from Egypt into modern-day Italy with about a dozen of them staying in the city of Rome itself. Despite their prevalence in ancient times, obelisks are much more common nowadays than you might think. For example, think about the Washington Monument or the San Jacinto Monument. These two are obelisks that were made, not by Egyptians, but by Americans. Think about the connotations that these two monuments carry, and imagine what the sacred obelisks of the Egyptians must have meant to them.
An Egyptian Obelisk (Obelisk of Pharaoh Sesostris I)
A Modern Obelisk (Washington Monument)
Thomas Grannen
Sources: 1: http://www.britannica.com/technology/obelisk
