Did you know there are more ancient Egyptian obelisks standing in Rome than there are anywhere else in the world, including all of Egypt? Besides a handful in Egypt, there are also obelisks in Arles, Istanbul, Paris, London and New York. In Rome there are 13 of them standing in prominent positions and piazzas around the city. Following a trip to Rome, during which I became quite intrigued by these ancient objects, I decided to research the histories of these obelisks around the world to found out more about why they have ended up where they are. To my delight, I found someone had beaten me to it.
- Thomas Dowson
- Last Checked and/or Updated 23 April 2023
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- Egypt, Italy Travel Tips & Ideas, Travel Reports
Visiting the ancient site of the Circus Maximus in Rome you see what is for all intents and purposes a modern public park with today’s Romans exercising, running and walking their dogs. Quite appropriate given that this was Rome’s oldest and largest public area. Thought to have been founded by the first kings of Rome in the 6th century BC, it was added to and modified by a number of emperors. For instance, towards the eastern end visitors can see the remains of what was the rounded seating. These were built during the reign of Trajan (98 – 117 AD). Otherwise, much of what we see today is a relatively recent landscaped impression of what the circus would have looked like in ancient times. This landscaped reconstruction was created following the removal of industrial buildings in the 1930s. Today grassy banks are a stand-in for the the tiered seating that overlook a sandy track and a grassy spina.
Except for a lone tree, today’s spina, a grassy patch running the length of what would have ben the racetrack, is bare. What remains of the original feature is some 9 m below today’s ground level. We know from representations of this feature, the central area around which the racetrack would have turned, that it was ornamented. In 1587 the spina was dug up under orders from Pope Sixtus V. Two ancient Egyptian Obelisks were found, the Flaminio Obelisk and the Lateranense Obelisk. Both were then removed from the circus, repaired and erected elsewhere in Rome, in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano respectively, where they have remained ever since.
Although these two obelisks were found on the spina of the Circus Maximus, they have very different histories. Both are monuments from the New Kingdom: the Lateranense Obelisk was built for Tuthmosis III and the other for Seti I, but also inscribed by Ramses II. The Flaminio Obelisk was one of the first obelisks to arrive in Rome, brought by Augustus in 10 BC, the other the last, brought by Constantius II in 357 AD. After being found in the 16th century were sent to different parts of the city.
What is an Obelisk?
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, tapering monument that ends at the top with a pyramid. They were carved from a single piece of stone, whereas modern ones tend to be made from several stones and are often hollow. Although the oldest known obelisk is Egyptian, the word itself is of Greek origin, as it was the Greek traveller Herodotus who first described them.
The ancient Egyptians made a number of obelisks, mostly they were placed in pairs at the entrances to temples. But more than half of those surviving are now scattered throughout the world, from Istanbul to New York.
The Temple of Luxor in Luxor, Egypt, has one remaining obelisk in front of its pylon. The other of this pair, the so-called Luxor Obelisk, is now a well known attraction on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. The two obelisks were offered to France as a gift in 1829, but only one made the journey to Paris where it was erected on 25 October 1836. The other remained in Luxor and the gift was officially renounced in the 1990s by France’s President François Mitterrand.
Egyptian Obelisks in Rome
The first obelisk to be taken from Egypt, the Flaminian Obelisk, was in fact one that ended up on the Circus Maximus. Following Augustus’s defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony he took from a temple in Heliopolis a granite obelisk created in about 1280 BC under Ramses II. Augustus had it erected on the spina towards the eastern end of the circus.
During battles between the Byzantines and the Goths for the control of Rome in the sixth century, the obelisk fell amongst the rubble and remained buried until 1587, when it was excavated, repaired and moved to its present location in the Piazza del Popolo.
The only obelisk to have remained standing since Roman times is the Vatican Obelisk on St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
Of the Egyptian obelisks in Rome, my favourite has to be the Minerveo Obelisk just behind the Pantheon on the Piazza della Minerva. Not only is the Egyptian object itself of interest, but it is also the obelisk’s story in Rome that adds to its character. The Minerveo was one of two obelisks brought from the small ancient Egyptian town of Sais by Emperor Diocletian to be placed in the Temple of Isis.
Much later when the foundations of the temple were discovered they were misidentified as being those of a temple dedicated to the Greek god Minerva. For this reason the basilica was named the Basilica of Saint Mary Above Minerva. And so when in 1655 the obelisk was found in the same temple it was understandably given the Greek god’s name. Perhaps it is not that unusual that the temple was thought to have a Greek connection not an Egyptian one.
Pope Alexander VII then commissioned the famous marble sculptor Bernini to create the pedestal and the Minerveo Obelisk was erected in the piazza in 1667.
How Many Egyptian Obelisks Are In Rome?
There are more obelisks in Rome than anywhere else in the world, 13 in total. These include eight obelisks built for Egyptian Pharaohs and kings, including Ramses II, Hophra and Seti I, which were taken to Rome by various Emperors, the first being Augustus. As well as five obelisks that were made in Egypt during the Roman period by Emperors (Hadrian may have had the Pinciano Obelisk made for the funerary temple at Antinoopolis), or in Rome as copies of ancient Egyptian originals (the Navona Obelisk was made for Emperor Domitian). There are also a number of modern ones (for example, the 20th century Marconi Obelisk).
The largest standing Egyptian obelisk, known as the Lateranense Obelisk, is standing in Rome – in the Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano.
Every now and then there are murmurings that these obelisks should be returned to their native lands. And indeed some are repatriated. The 1,700 year old Obelisk of Axum from Ethiopia, for example, stood on the Piazza di Porta Capena in Rome from 1937 until April 2005 when it was returned to Ethiopia.
The rights and wrongs of whether the Egyptian obelisks should remain in cities around the world aside, they are where they are today as a result of complex and interesting social and political relations, and are as much a part of the heritage of those cities as any other archaeological site. In a very physical way the obelisks are a testimony to these relations, and visiting Rome today one can not fully understand the many Roman monuments without appreciating that they were possible as a result of a vast Empire, that included Egypt.
The Emperors’ Needles by Susan Sorek
For anyone interested in finding out more about the ancient obelisks, why they were created, when and by whom, as well as why they have ended up in cities, parks and gardens around the world, a must read is Susan Sorek’s The Emperors’ Needles: Egyptian Obelisks and Rome. Read my review of The Emperors’ Needles, or buy a copy on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk (Disclosure, in the interests of transparency, as an Amazon Associate Archaeology Travel may earn a commission from qualifying purchases; for further information see our Code of Ethics).
Ancient Obelisks in Rome
Flaminio Obelisk
At the centre of Piazza del Popolo stands one of the first Egyptian obelisks brought to Rome by Augustus to mark the 20th anniversary of his conquest of Egypt in 10 BC. Made of Aswan granite, the obelisk was made for Seti I before 1300 BC, but only three sides bear his inscriptions. Ramses II had the fourth side inscribed. In Rome the Flaminio obelisk was erected at the eastern end of the spina at the Circus Maximus. During excavations in 1587 the obelisk was found and then moved to the Piazza del Popolo under instruction from Pope Sixtus V. The Egyptian style lions and basins were added in 1823 by the Italian architect Guiseppe Valadier.
Minerveo Obelisk
In a small piazza behind the Pantheon is the smallest obelisk in Rome – only 5.5 m high. This is one of a pair (the other is in Urbino, Italy) made for Hophra and erected at the Temple of Saïs in Lower Egypt during his reign (586 – 570 BC). There is very little information about how they got to Rome and where they were erected. It is possible this pair were placed at the entrance to Augustus’ mausoleum. They were discovered during excavations in 1665, in the remains of what was the Temple of Isis, but initially interpreted as a Greek temple of Minerva. The base was created by Bernini, and the obelisk re-erected in 1667.
Navona Obelisk
In front of the Baroque church of Sant’Agnese in Agone, on one of the most picturesque piazzas of Rome, stands the Navona Obelisk. Although it is made of Egyptian granite the obelisk was commissioned by Emperor Domitian and the hieroglyphs were carved by Roman stonecutters. Some of the images represent Domitian as a Pharoah, the only obelisk in Rome to depict an emperor as a pharaoh. Domitian has the obelisk erected at the
Temple of Isis and Serapis, it was then moved by Maxentius to a circus named for him. Although admired by Romans and visitors alike today for its position in a Bernini fountain, its re-erection in the piazza in 1648 was controversial because of the costs.
Sallustiano Obelisk
In the Piazza della Trinità dei Monti at the top of the Spanish Steps is an obelisk that was commissioned by a Roman emperor, possible Hadrian. Because the hieroglyphs are the same as those on the Flaminio Obelisk, and much poorer in workmanship, it is thought this is a 3rd century AD replica of that obelisk. The name comes from its first position in the Gardens of Sallust. The obelisk was almost certainly toppled by the Goths lead be Alaric when they entered Rome at the Salarian Gate in 410 AD. Before being erected in its current position in 1789, there was an attempt to take it to Paris to stand in front of the Notre Dame cathedral.
Vatican Obelisk
Of the 13 Egyptian obelisks brought to Rome, the Vatican Obelisk is the only ancient obelisk in Rome to have remained standing since Roman times. It was the largest non-inscribed obelisk to leave Egypt, at 25.5 m high and weighing an estimated 326 tonnes. It was Gaius Caligula who had the obelisk bought to Rome in 37 AD. The obelisk was originally erected in gardens Caligula had inherited from his mother, and then on the central spina of a circus, where it stood until 1585 when it was re-erected in its present position the centre of St Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
Ancient Obelisks in Other Cities Around the World
Arles Obelisk
An uninscribed obelisk made of red granite and brought to France from Egypt by Constantine I. Arles was one of Constantine’s favourite cities, and here he built baths and an impressive amphitheatre – so well preserved it is still in use today. The obelisk was placed on the spina of the circus – the remains of which can still be seen near the archaeology museum. In late antiquity the obelisk fell and broke in two. Rediscovered in 1389, it was later re-erected in the centre of the Place de la République by Louis XIV.
Boboli Gardens
The Boboli Gardens, directly behind the Pitti Palace in Florence, are one of the first formal Italian Gardens. Laid out in the 16th century, the private gardens of the Medici Family served as inspiration for many Royal Courts of Europe. The primary axis of the garden is centred on the rear of the palace, which begins with a landscaped amphitheatre, rising up Boboli Hill from which there are spectacular views of Florence. The gardens have many statues of many styles and periods. The Egyptian Ramesside Boboli Obelisk was relocated here in 1790 from the Villa Medici in Rome.
Cleopatra's Needle, London
Situated on the northern embankment of the Thames River in London is one of a pair of ancient obelisks that were erected in 1475 at the Egyptian city of Heliopolis by Thutmose III. The other now stands in Central Park, New York. In 12 BC the pair were moved from Heliopolis (Cairo) to Alexandria by Cleopatra. Sometime after 1200 AD when both were noted as still standing, the obelisk that was taken to London toppled. Suggestions are this was in 1303 when an earthquake off Crete brought down the Alexandria Lighthouse. The obelisk was erected in London in September 1878.
Cleopatra's Needle, New York City
Standing in New York’s Central Park is one of a pair of ancient obelisks that were originally erected in in 1475 at the Egyptian city of Heliopolis by Thutmose III. The other now stands on the banks of the Thames River, London. The obelisk was offered as a gift to the US at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Since being in New York the surface of the obelisk have weathered significantly and some of the hieroglyphic inscriptions are barely visible. Thutmose had the first set of inscriptions added, and 200 years Rameses II added to these in commemoration of his military victories.
Luxor Obelisk, Place de la Concorde
At the bottom of the Champs Elysées and set in the centre of one of the most well known traffic circles in the world stands an Egyptian obelisk from the Luxor Temple. The so-called Luxor Obelisk is made of red granite, measures 22.5 metres in height and weighs an estimated 227 tonnes. This obelisk and its pair, that still stands in front of the first pylon of the temple in Luxor, were the largest obelisks to have been erected by Ramses II; others were set up at temples in Heliopolis and Tanis. The obelisk arrived in France on 10 May 1833. And on 25 October the obelisk was raised watched on by King Louis-Philippe I and an eager crowd.
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