In the article we will talk about what an obelisk is, when this element of architecture first appeared, we will analyze the history of the Luxor Obelisk.
Architecture
People have always attached great importance to art, including architecture. The life of most ancient civilizations we know mainly due to the preserved buildings and elements of the architectural style, for example, the Mayan pyramids in South America belong to those. Of course, not all peoples left such significant traces in history, besides, even in our time, houses and other buildings are primarily used from a practical point of view, and they do not differ in age-long durability with exquisite building solutions.
Probably the most famous historical era is Ancient Egypt. To this day, the culture of this now dead people is admirable. And, in addition to the pyramids, one very important architectural element, such as an obelisk, has reached our days. So what is an obelisk, how is it used in our time? We’ll talk about this.
Definition
Obelisks were also used in Ancient Greece, but there they had purely practical significance, for example, as a gnomon (special signs, prototypes of clock hands) of a sundial. While in ancient Egypt, the obelisk is a symbol of the sun, and, in general, one of the favorite elements of architecture and symbolism. Let us consider in more detail the history of Egyptian obelisks and their purpose.
Device and purpose
Egyptian obelisks (at least those that have survived to this day) are monoliths that were carved from a homogeneous stone block. Usually the material was red granite, which was mined in Aswan. And they were installed in pairs along the entrances to the temples.
Due to imperfection of tools, obelisks were made for a very long time and painstakingly. For example, the Hatshepsut obelisk was carved for seven months. Now we know what the obelisk is. Consider the main characteristics.
It was customary to cover their sides with hieroglyphs, whose texts in most cases boiled down to the glorification of the gods and acting pharaohs. Sometimes, if such a structure was of particular importance, it was covered with an alloy of gold and silver. True, this was done only with the tip of the obelisk. So in ancient Egypt, the obelisk is an important element of religious worship and symbolism.
Historians know for sure that the Egyptians owned the art of making obelisks already during the 4th dynasty, but the oldest that survived to this day date back to the 5th dynasty. Their distinctive feature is a small size, a little more than three meters. If we talk about those that have survived to our time in the same place that they were installed, then the oldest is the obelisk of Senusert. And the highest finished one is the one installed in Karnak, its height is more than 24 meters. By the way, according to rough estimates, it weighs 143 tons. As you can see, the obelisk is a structure that can be very different in size.
Spread
Gradually from Egypt, obelisks began to spread throughout the world. The first countries in which fashion appeared on them were Palestine and Phenicia. True, there they were produced by compiling from separate segments, which greatly simplified the manufacturing process. Further, the obelisks began to spread throughout Byzantium, Assyria and even Ethiopia. A considerable number of them were exported to the Roman Empire. For example, the one that is now installed in front of the Lateran Basilica in Rome was created in Karnak, weighs 230 tons and its height is 32 meters. True, the first thing that comes to mind when looking at such an obelisk, how was it transported? Even in our time, the transportation of such cargo is not such an easy task.
During the Renaissance, obelisks became popular among Italian architects as elements of the overall composition. And then, starting from the middle of the 19th century, as the interest of the public and historians in ancient Egypt grew, many countries were engaged in uncontrolled taking of various art and antiquities to themselves. For example, in St. Petersburg on the Neva embankment there are sphinxes, but few people know that they were brought straight from Egypt, and their age is several thousand years.
Nowadays
And today, obelisks are very popular as an architectural element and as a separate sculpture of symbolic significance or a monument. The largest is the Washington Monument in the United States, its height is 169 meters.
In Russia, the obelisks became widespread, starting from the reign of Catherine II, and were established in honor of military victories and achievements. That is, you can determine the meaning of the word "obelisk" yourself. This is an architectural monument that looks like a pillar tapering up.
Obelisks gradually went out of fashion as an element of design or architecture, however, they began to be used as monuments of military glory. For example, very often you can find obelisks over the mass graves of the Great Patriotic War. And in Russian cities there are monuments to outstanding historical and military figures of past years, for example, an obelisk in honor of Minin and Pozharsky in Nizhny Novgorod, at the site of the Suvorov command post on Borodino field and others.
Luxor Obelisk
In 1831, the ruler of Egypt, Mehmet Ali, presented France with the Luxor Obelisk, which was originally erected in honor of Ramses II. Already in 1833 he was taken to Paris and, after the royal meeting, was set up in Place de la Concorde, where you can still see the obelisk. A photo of him is provided a little higher. The process of its delivery is depicted on the bottom of the monument.