Moving the Vatican Obelisk

12 August 2007 | Category: Architecture Matters

Moving the Vatican Obelisk
image source: Della Trasportatione dell’Obelisco Vaticano.

Moving the Vatican Obelisk
image source: Della Trasportatione dell’Obelisco Vaticano.

Originally stood in the Temple of the Sun, Egypt, the Roma emperor Caligula brought it to Rome in 37 AD, finally in 1585, Pope Sixtus entrusted Domenico Fontana of moving the obelisk to St. Peter Square. It took 900 men and 72 horses 5 months to move the obelisk one mile, how did an epileptic emperor, 1500 years earlier, move it all the way from Egypt?

What is an Obelisk? Obelisks were a prominent part of the architecture of the ancient Egyptians, who placed them in pairs at the entrance of temples. The top is the point of a pyramid formation which crowns the monolith and rested on a base. It was plated in gold, a metal which the Egyptians affirmed was the “flesh of the gods.”

Only 27 ancient Egyptian obelisks are known to have survived, and the funny part is only 8 of these obelisk remains in Egypt.

  • France – 1
  • Israel – 1
  • Italy – 11
  • Turkey – 1
  • United Kingdom – 4
  • United States – 1

Its about time the British and France Museum return all of Egypt’s treasure, isn’t it morally and ethically wrong to loot a country’s treasure and display it in your own museum?

Read also - History of Egyptian Obelisk

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4 Comments

  1. BarnaStil
    on August 13th, 2007
    1

    “Its about time the British and France Museum return all of Egypt’s treasure, isn’t it morally and ethically wrong to loot a country’s treasure and display it in your own museum?”

    Ironically, the reason they are so well preserved today is probably because they are displayed in foreign museums. It is no secret that Egyptian tombs have been raided and pillaged throughout the centuries by grave robbers and “treasure hunters” meaning that if it weren´t for these conservatories, there may very well not be any proof of the obelisks now.

  2. Calvin
    on August 13th, 2007
    2

    yeah, you got a point there, I guess i’ve overlooked.

    True, it could have probably been gone by now if it wasn’t for the British… but then again, since Egypt is now better off than years ago, shouldn’t they return it now?

  3. BarnaStil
    on August 13th, 2007
    3

    I don´t have the answer to that. I think it is quite true that we humans admire that which we don´t have which therefore would lead me to think that they are more appreciated in foreign countries.
    Where do you draw the line in history? If we were to squabble over and try to correct every little occurrence in history most of South America would have to be turned over to the Spanish which would have to be turned over to someone else, the Western United States to the Mexicans who would have to turn it over to the native Americans, Canada to France, etc. Sometimes I think it is just better to appreciate the history and beauty of an object instead of worrying about injustices that we had nothing to with anyways.

  4. Moving Rennie London Bridge to Lake Havasu Arizona : mirage.studio.7
    on August 26th, 2007
    4

    [...] example of a change in location is the Egyptian artifacts and obelisk, these artifacts has been moved to France and Britain, how does the overall context justify when it [...]

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