Moving the Vatican Obelisk

August 12, 2007 · Filed Under Architecture Matters · 5 Comments
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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