Miscellanies. XXXIT. 



VoL IP'. No, 34. 



OBELISKS'. OF THE E EGYPTIANS. 



* r jL he Obelisks are like the Pyramids and Cata- 

 combs or tombs remarkable 'Monuments of the 

 %a\d arcliitecture of the ancient Egyptians. The 

 word Obelisk which is of greek origin, denotes 

 high column , having ufualiy four Ildes and lel- 

 Ifening upwards by degrees. In ancient times 

 when Egypt was governed by its own kings, many 

 iof Obelisks exifted 1 which thofe fovereigns had 

 ' erected on the (ides of temples, before their pala- 

 des, or ori large publick places , in order to trans- 

 mit their names to pöüerity. They were from 50 

 to 150 feet high and generally of one piece of a 

 reddish Granit; a few were made of ma ibi e ; the 

 : Quarries are yet to be feen in Upper - Egypt, 

 whe re thoufands of hands loofened and worked 

 thole immenfe mafFes of itone. 



Very few of the f e Obelisks were plain or 

 polished ; on the inoft of them Hieroglyphs or cha- 

 racters, reprefenting different tools, utenlils or ani- 

 mals were engraved 2 inches deep. Thefe cha- 

 racters together, formed a language in images or 

 writing in picture which at that time was under- 

 stood, but in our days has proved impoffible to 

 be unravelled. Not long before the beginning of 

 the Chriftian Aera when the Romans fubjugated 

 Egypt, fome of the Emperours ordered feveral of 

 theggreateft and fineft Obelisks asfplendid columns 

 to be brought to Rome. Three of the moft mag- 

 nificient, and ftill exifting in Rome, are reprefen- 

 ted in the annexed picture. 



Fig. 1 . An. Obeli sii brought to Rome 

 by order of Augultus. 



This Obelisk which without its pedefial is 

 7p feet high, is cut out of one piece of marble 

 and ornamented with a number of Hieroglyphs. 

 It has been removed to Rome fromlleliopolis the 



ancient capital of Egypt under the reign of Au- 

 guftus; but when the northern Barbarians inva- 

 ded Rome, this Obelisk was fubverted and broke 

 in three pieces. It remained in the rubbish till 

 the reign of the Roman Pope Sixtus V., when in 

 the Year i5ß6 it was erected again by the Archi» 

 tect Fontana, near la Porta dei Popolo. 



Fig. 2. An Obelisk dedicated to the 

 fun and removed to Rome by 

 ConJtantius. 



This Obelisk was erected in Heliopclis about 

 3000 Years ago by the king Raineffes before his 

 palace, 20000 men are faid to have wo iked at it» 

 It is 100 feet high and hewn cf one piece of Gra- 

 nit. Conftantine the Great had it conveyed down 

 the Nile as far as Alexandria , but his early death 

 hindered the further transport. Conftantius his 

 fon had it afterwards brought to Rome and 

 erected in the courfe. This Obelisk was alfo de- 

 stroyed by the northern invaders and put up again 

 by Sixtus V. before the Church of St, John of 

 Lateran, under the furvey of the aforefaid archi- 

 tect. 



Fig. 3. The Obelisk of the Circus 

 of Nero. 



This Obelisk is quite plain and of one piece 

 of reddish Granit; without its pedefial it is 73 

 feet high. Nero had it brought to Rome in order 

 to place it in the new built Circus. The nor- 

 thern invaders deftroyed it like the others, but in 

 the reign of the above mentioned Pope it was 

 alfo dug out of the rubbish in the Year 1536 and 

 erected in the middle of the place before St, Pe- 

 té r's Church, 



