The city of Rome harbours thirteen ancient obelisks, the most in the world. There are eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Romanobelisks in Rome, together with a number of more modern obelisks; there was also until 2005 an ancient Ethiopian obelisk in Rome.
19th century collage of the twelve obelisks in Rome at the time (the Dogali obelisk was found later). Note the photos of 10 and 11 are incorrectly swapped.
Old St. Peter's Basilica with the obelisk at the left in its original place. Originally raised in the Forum Iulium in Alexandriamap by the prefect Cornelius Gallus on Augustus' orders around 30–28 BC. No hieroglyphs. Brought to Rome by Caligula in 40 for the spina of the Vatican Circus.map Relocated by Pope Sixtus V in 1586 using a method devised by Domenico Fontana; the first monumental obelisk raised in the modern period, it is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since Roman times. During the Middle Ages, the gilt ball on top of the obelisk was believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar.[3][4] Fontana later removed the ancient metal ball, now in a Rome museum, that stood atop the obelisk and found only dust. Pedro Tafur in his Andanças[4][5] (c. 1440) mentions that many passed between the ground and the "tower" base "thinking it a saintly thing".
Originally from Heliopolis.map Brought to Rome by Augustus in 10 BC with the Solare obelisk and erected on the spina of the Circus Maximus.map Found with the Lateranense obelisk in 1587 in two pieces and erected by Pope Sixtus V in 1589. Sculptures with lion fountains were added to the base in 1818. Weighs around 235 tons.[2]
Originally one of a pair at the Temple of Ra in Heliopolis, the other being the Macuteo which retains much more of its original height. Moved to the Temple of Isis near Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Found in the 14th century and erected east of Santa Maria in Aracoeli on the Capitoline. Moved to Villa Celimontana after Michelangelo redesigned the square in the late 16th century. Lost again; fragments rediscovered and re-erected in 1820. Smallest obelisk in Rome.[contradictory]
At least five obelisks were manufactured in Egypt in the Roman period at the request of the wealthy Romans, or made in Rome as copies of ancient Egyptian originals.
A copy commissioned by Domitian and erected at the Temple of Serapis. Moved to the Circus of Maxentius by Maxentius. The Earl of Arundel paid a deposit and attempted to ship the four pieces to London in the late 1630s but Urban VIII disallowed its export.[7]
Marconi, 1959, 45 m, in the centre of the EUR district, dedicated to Guglielmo Marconi, built for the 1960 Summer Olympics. 92 panels in white marble contain illustrations of Marconi's career and allegorical scenes.
^ abTravels and Adventures, Chapter 3, Pero Tafur, digitized from The Broadway Travellers series, edited by Sir E. Denison Ross and Eileen Power, translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts (New York, London: Harper & brothers 1926):
On the other side of it is a high tower made of one piece of stone, like a three-cornered diamond raised upon three brazen feet; and many, taking it for a holy thing, creep between the ground and the base of that tower. This was a work undertaken in honour of Julius Caesar and assigned for his burial, and on the top of it are three large gilt apples in which is the dust of the Emperor [sic] Julius Caesar, and certainly it is a noble edifice and marvellously ordered and very strange. It is called Caesar's needle, and in the middle and at the base, and even at the top, are a few ancient letters carved in the stone which now cannot well be read, but in fact they record that the body of Julius Caesar was buried there.
^L'Italia. Roma (guida rossa), Touring Club Italiano, Milano 2004
^Edward Chaney, "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.
Wirsching, Armin (2003), "Supplementary Remarks on the Roman Obelisk-Ships", The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 32 (1): 121–123, doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2003.tb01438.x, S2CID 233246649
Wirsching, Armin (2013), Obelisken transportieren und aufrichten in Aegypten und in Rom (3rd ed.), BoD – Books on Demand, ISBN978-3-8334-8513-8
External linksEdit
A Google map showing the location of all the obelisks in Rome
Obelisks of Rome (series of articles in Platner's Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome)
Obelischi di Roma
Obelisk of Psametik II and Augustus, erected by Pope Pius VI in Piazza Montecitorio
Romeartlover.it: Obelisks of Rome
October 28, 2023
list, obelisks, rome, city, rome, harbours, thirteen, ancient, obelisks, most, world, there, eight, ancient, egyptian, five, ancient, roman, obelisks, rome, together, with, number, more, modern, obelisks, there, also, until, 2005, ancient, ethiopian, obelisk, . The city of Rome harbours thirteen ancient obelisks the most in the world There are eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks in Rome together with a number of more modern obelisks there was also until 2005 an ancient Ethiopian obelisk in Rome 19th century collage of the twelve obelisks in Rome at the time the Dogali obelisk was found later Note the photos of 10 and 11 are incorrectly swapped Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMapDownload coordinates as KML GPX all coordinates GPX primary coordinates GPX secondary coordinates The Romans used special heavy cargo carriers called obelisk ships to transport the monuments down the Nile clarification needed to Alexandria and from there across the Mediterranean Sea to Rome On site large Roman cranes were employed to erect the monoliths Contents 1 Ancient Egyptian obelisks 2 Ancient Roman obelisks 3 Obelisk of Axum 4 Modern obelisks 5 Former locations of some obelisks 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksAncient Egyptian obelisks EditSee also List of Egyptian obelisks At least eight obelisks created in antiquity by the Egyptians were taken from Egypt after the Roman conquest and brought to Rome Image Height with base Name Original Commissioner Location Notes nbsp 32 18 m 45 70 m Lateranense Tuthmosis III Tuthmosis IV Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano41 53 12 6 N 12 30 17 2 E 41 886833 N 12 504778 E 41 886833 12 504778 Lateranense Tallest obelisk in Rome and the largest standing ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world originally weighing around 455 tons 1 From the temple of Amun in Karnak map and brought to Alexandria with another obelisk by Constantius II and brought on its own from there to Rome in 357 to decorate the spina of the Circus Maximus map Found in three pieces in 1587 restored approximately 4 m shorter by Pope Sixtus V and erected near the Lateran Palace and Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in 1588 in the place of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius which was moved to the Capitoline Hill Current version weighs around 330 tons 2 nbsp 25 5 m 41 m A 1 Vaticano Unknown St Peter s Square41 54 8 1 N 12 27 26 1 E 41 902250 N 12 457250 E 41 902250 12 457250 Vaticano nbsp Old St Peter s Basilica with the obelisk at the left in its original place Originally raised in the Forum Iulium in Alexandriamap by the prefect Cornelius Gallus on Augustus orders around 30 28 BC No hieroglyphs Brought to Rome by Caligula in 40 for the spina of the Vatican Circus map Relocated by Pope Sixtus V in 1586 using a method devised by Domenico Fontana the first monumental obelisk raised in the modern period it is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since Roman times During the Middle Ages the gilt ball on top of the obelisk was believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar 3 4 Fontana later removed the ancient metal ball now in a Rome museum that stood atop the obelisk and found only dust Pedro Tafur in his Andancas 4 5 c 1440 mentions that many passed between the ground and the tower base thinking it a saintly thing nbsp 24 m 36 50 m Flaminio Seti I Ramses II Piazza del Popolo41 54 38 6 N 12 28 34 8 E 41 910722 N 12 476333 E 41 910722 12 476333 Flaminio Originally from Heliopolis map Brought to Rome by Augustus in 10 BC with the Solare obelisk and erected on the spina of the Circus Maximus map Found with the Lateranense obelisk in 1587 in two pieces and erected by Pope Sixtus V in 1589 Sculptures with lion fountains were added to the base in 1818 Weighs around 235 tons 2 nbsp 21 79 m 33 97 m Solare Psammetichus II Piazza di Montecitorio41 54 2 5 N 12 28 43 2 E 41 900694 N 12 478667 E 41 900694 12 478667 Solare Originally from Heliopolis map Brought to Rome by Augustus in 10 BC with the Flaminio obelisk to form the gnomon of the Solarium Augusti in the Campus Martius map Found in the 16th century but reburied Rediscovered and erected by Pope Pius VI in front of the Palazzo Montecitorio in 1792 nbsp 2 6 34 m 14 52 m Macuteo Ramses II Piazza della Rotonda41 53 57 6 N 12 28 36 3 E 41 899333 N 12 476750 E 41 899333 12 476750 Macuteo Originally one of a pair at the Temple of Ra in Heliopolis the other being the now much shorter Matteiano Moved to the Temple of Isis near Santa Maria sopra Minerva Found in 1373 near San Macuto and erected in Piazza Macuta Moved to the front of the Pantheon by Pope Clement XI in 1711 over a fountain by Filippo Barigioni nbsp 2 5 47 m 12 69 m Minerveo Apries Piazza della Minerva41 53 52 7 N 12 28 39 2 E 41 897972 N 12 477556 E 41 897972 12 477556 Minerveo Originally one of a pair from Sais Brought to Rome by Diocletian for the nearby Temple of Isis Found in 1655 and erected in 1667 by Pope Alexander VII on an Elephant base by Bernini behind the Pantheon in Piazza della Minerva The other of the pair is in Urbino This is the smallest obelisk in Rome with a height of 5 47 meters 6 contradictory nbsp 2 6 34 m Dogali Ramses II Baths of Diocletian41 54 7 8 N 12 29 50 9 E 41 902167 N 12 497472 E 41 902167 12 497472 Dogali Originally one of a pair from Heliopolis the other now in the Boboli Gardens in Florence Moved to the Temple of Isis in Rome Found in 1883 by Rodolfo Lanciani near Santa Maria sopra Minerva Now commemorates the Battle of Dogali originally in front of Near Termini Station and moved to its present site in 1924 nbsp 2 2 68 m 12 23 m Matteiano Ramses II Villa Celimontana41 53 0 2 N 12 29 43 2 E 41 883389 N 12 495333 E 41 883389 12 495333 Matteiano Originally one of a pair at the Temple of Ra in Heliopolis the other being the Macuteo which retains much more of its original height Moved to the Temple of Isis near Santa Maria sopra Minerva Found in the 14th century and erected east of Santa Maria in Aracoeli on the Capitoline Moved to Villa Celimontana after Michelangelo redesigned the square in the late 16th century Lost again fragments rediscovered and re erected in 1820 Smallest obelisk in Rome contradictory Further detailsAncient Roman obelisks EditMap this section s coordinates using OpenStreetMapDownload coordinates as KML GPX all coordinates GPX primary coordinates GPX secondary coordinates At least five obelisks were manufactured in Egypt in the Roman period at the request of the wealthy Romans or made in Rome as copies of ancient Egyptian originals Image Height with base Name Location Notes nbsp 16 53 m 30 m Agonalis Pamphilius Piazza Navona41 53 56 3 N 12 28 23 1 E 41 898972 N 12 473083 E 41 898972 12 473083 Agonalis A copy commissioned by Domitian and erected at the Temple of Serapis Moved to the Circus of Maxentius by Maxentius The Earl of Arundel paid a deposit and attempted to ship the four pieces to London in the late 1630s but Urban VIII disallowed its export 7 Erected on top of the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Bernini in 1651 nbsp 14 63 m 28 94 m Quirinale Piazza del Quirinale41 53 56 7 N 12 29 11 9 E 41 899083 N 12 486639 E 41 899083 12 486639 Quirinale Originally erected on the eastern flank of the Mausoleum of Augustus paired with the Esquiline obelisk Found in 1527 Erected by Pope Pius VI in 1786 on the Quirinal Hill next to statues of the Dioscuri called the Horse Tamers from the Baths of Constantine nbsp 14 75 m 25 53 m Esquiline Piazza dell Esquilino41 53 53 4 N 12 29 51 E 41 898167 N 12 49750 E 41 898167 12 49750 Esquiline Originally erected on the western flank of the Mausoleum of Augustus paired with the Quirinale obelisk Found in 1527 and erected in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V behind Santa Maria Maggiore nbsp 13 91 m 30 45 m Sallustiano Trinita dei Monti41 54 22 1 N 12 28 59 6 E 41 906139 N 12 483222 E 41 906139 12 483222 Sallustiano Above the Spanish Steps An Aurelian copy although smaller of the Flaminio obelisk of Ramses II in the Piazza del Popolo for the Gardens of Sallust Found by the Ludovisi and moved to the Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano in 1734 but kept horizontal Erected in 1789 by Pope Pius VI nbsp 1 9 24 m 17 26 m Pinciano Pincian Hill41 54 38 9 N 12 28 47 1 E 41 910806 N 12 479750 E 41 910806 12 479750 Pinciano Commissioned by Hadrian and erected in Tivoli for the tomb of Antinous Moved to Rome by Elagabalus to decorate the spina of the Circus Varianus Found in the 16th century near the Porta Maggiore Moved to the Palazzo Barberini then moved to the Vatican by Pope Clement XIV finally erected on the Pincian by Pope Pius VII in 1822 Obelisk of Axum Edit nbsp The Obelisk of Axum in Rome in 2002There was also an Ethiopian obelisk in Rome the Obelisk of Axum 24 m placed in the Piazza di Porta Capena It had been taken from Axum by the Italian Army during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1937 It was struck by lightning in May 2002 After being restored it was cut into three pieces and returned to Ethiopia in April 2005 Modern obelisks Edit nbsp The Marconi obelisk in the centre of the EUR districtThere are five well known modern obelisks in Rome Villa Medici 19th century copy of the original found in the gardens and taken to Florence Two obelisks in the Villa Torlonia 1842 Baveno granite Foro Italico 1932 17 5 m Carrara marble originally dedicated to Benito Mussolini and inscribed Mussolini Dux Marconi 1959 45 m in the centre of the EUR district dedicated to Guglielmo Marconi built for the 1960 Summer Olympics 92 panels in white marble contain illustrations of Marconi s career and allegorical scenes Former locations of some obelisks Edit Lateranense at Karnak Egypt 25 43 7 46 N 32 39 26 64 E 25 7187389 N 32 6574000 E 25 7187389 32 6574000 Lateranense Karnak Lateranense at Circus Maximus in Rome 41 53 6 31 N 12 29 14 45 E 41 8850861 N 12 4873472 E 41 8850861 12 4873472 Lateranense Circus Maximus Vaticano at Forum Iulium in Alexandria Egypt 31 11 52 8 N 29 55 9 12 E 31 198000 N 29 9192000 E 31 198000 29 9192000 Vaticano Alexandria Vaticano at Vatican Circus in Rome 41 54 5 82 N 12 27 14 94 E 41 9016167 N 12 4541500 E 41 9016167 12 4541500 Vaticano Circus of Nero Flaminio at Heliopolis Egypt 30 07 46 3 N 31 17 20 E 30 129528 N 31 28889 E 30 129528 31 28889 Flaminio Heliopolis Flaminio at Circus Maximus in Rome 41 53 12 73 N 12 29 3 4 E 41 8868694 N 12 484278 E 41 8868694 12 484278 Flaminio Circus Maximus Solare at Heliopolis Egypt 30 07 46 3 N 31 17 20 E 30 129528 N 31 28889 E 30 129528 31 28889 Solare Heliopolis Solare at Campus Martius in Rome 41 54 10 N 12 28 40 E 41 902842 N 12 477733 E 41 902842 12 477733 Solare Campus Martius See also EditList of Egyptian obelisks List of modern obelisksMonoliths Cleopatra s Needle List of Roman monoliths List of largest monoliths in the worldRoman triumphal monuments List of Roman triumphal arches List of Roman victory columnsNotes Edit Supported on bronze lions and surmounted by the Chigi arms in bronze in all 41 m to the cross on its topReferences Edit NOVA Online Mysteries of the Nile A World of Obelisks Rome PBS a b Menhir s Obelisks and Standing stones Touring Club Italiano Roma e Dintorni a b Travels and Adventures Chapter 3 Pero Tafur digitized from The Broadway Travellers series edited by Sir E Denison Ross and Eileen Power translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts New York London Harper amp brothers 1926 On the other side of it is a high tower made of one piece of stone like a three cornered diamond raised upon three brazen feet and many taking it for a holy thing creep between the ground and the base of that tower This was a work undertaken in honour of Julius Caesar and assigned for his burial and on the top of it are three large gilt apples in which is the dust of the Emperor sic Julius Caesar and certainly it is a noble edifice and marvellously ordered and very strange It is called Caesar s needle and in the middle and at the base and even at the top are a few ancient letters carved in the stone which now cannot well be read but in fact they record that the body of Julius Caesar was buried there Pedro Tafur s Andancas 1874 edition referenced in the Diccionario critico etimologico castellano e hispanico Joan Corominas Jose Antonio Pascual 1987 Editorial Gredos Tome I ISBN 84 249 1361 2 entry carnicol page 880 L Italia Roma guida rossa Touring Club Italiano Milano 2004 Edward Chaney 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 Further reading EditD Onofrio Cesare 1967 Gli obelischi di Roma Wirsching Armin 2000 How the Obelisks Reached Rome Evidence of Roman Double Ships The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 29 2 273 283 doi 10 1111 j 1095 9270 2000 tb01456 x S2CID 162710923 Wirsching Armin 2003 Supplementary Remarks on the Roman Obelisk Ships The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 32 1 121 123 doi 10 1111 j 1095 9270 2003 tb01438 x S2CID 233246649 Wirsching Armin 2013 Obelisken transportieren und aufrichten in Aegypten und in Rom 3rd ed BoD Books on Demand ISBN 978 3 8334 8513 8External links EditA Google map showing the location of all the obelisks in RomeMap all coordinates using OpenStreetMapDownload coordinates as KML GPX all coordinates GPX primary coordinates GPX secondary coordinates Obelisks in Rome Andrea Pollett Obelisks of Rome series of articles in Platner s Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome Obelischi di Roma Obelisk of Psametik II and Augustus erected by Pope Pius VI in Piazza Montecitorio Romeartlover it Obelisks of Rome Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of obelisks in Rome amp oldid 1170422237, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
