WHERE OBELISKS CAME FROM
New York City's Central Park:
There's an obelisk in the park. It doesn't belong there. It was brought from Egypt in the 19th
century AD:
When you stand beside it and look up you can get a better feeling for its power. It was carved
from a single block of stone: granite. It stands 69 1/2 feet high. It weighs about three hundred
and sixty tons with its original mount, which is missing, and it's about three thousand five
hundred years old. But you can still see the hieroglyphs carved into it. Now THAT'S an obelisk.
There's another genuine obelisk, brought from Egypt to London, England. It's 68 1/2 feet high
and stands on the Embankment beside the Thames river:
There are hieroglyphs carved into it. It's called Cleopatra's needle. She was a Queen of Egypt
and lived 68-30 BC. The obelisk has nothing to do with Cleopatra, and the plaques at the base
are not related to the obelisk. In part they commemorate the men who died bringing it to London
in 1868 AD. It was abandoned during a storm in the Bay of Biscay, but later recovered. The
obelisk is said to have been created during the reign of Pharaoh Tuthmose 3. I have three dates
for his reign, from three different sources: about 1500 BC; about 1600 BC; and 1490-1436 BC;
so at least two of them are wrong. The obelisk now in New York is also said to have been constructed by order of Tuthmose 3.
In earliest times the carvings were about the Gods and Goddesses but later, such as on these
obelisks, the kings of Egypt claimed to be sons of the Gods and covered the obelisks with
announcements of their own successes.
The ancient Romans brought 12 obelisks from Egypt to Italy. And in 1585 AD Pope Sixtus V had
another one brought over to Italy and erected in St. Peter's square. Fontana, the man
commissioned to erect it, made elaborate plans. He used over 900 men, 67 horses and 40 capstans
to raise it. The Pope had a cross put on top of it, like this:
Of course a Christian cross has nothing to do with an obelisk.
Although Egypt is the real home of obelisks, few remain there. Two of
these are still standing, at Karnak.
Obelisks go very far back in ancient history, probably older than the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, and
that's said to be about 4,400 years old.
Here's a vignette from the Book of the Dead:
No one knows how old the origins of this ancient Egyptian text are, or can explain the strange
beings to whom the priests are offering sacrifices, but the beings appear to be related to obelisks.
TO HOME PAGE
There's an obelisk in the park. It doesn't belong there. It was brought from Egypt in the 19th
century AD:
When you stand beside it and look up you can get a better feeling for its power. It was carved
from a single block of stone: granite. It stands 69 1/2 feet high. It weighs about three hundred
and sixty tons with its original mount, which is missing, and it's about three thousand five
hundred years old. But you can still see the hieroglyphs carved into it. Now THAT'S an obelisk.
There's another genuine obelisk, brought from Egypt to London, England. It's 68 1/2 feet high
and stands on the Embankment beside the Thames river:
There are hieroglyphs carved into it. It's called Cleopatra's needle. She was a Queen of Egypt
and lived 68-30 BC. The obelisk has nothing to do with Cleopatra, and the plaques at the base
are not related to the obelisk. In part they commemorate the men who died bringing it to London
in 1868 AD. It was abandoned during a storm in the Bay of Biscay, but later recovered. The
obelisk is said to have been created during the reign of Pharaoh Tuthmose 3. I have three dates
for his reign, from three different sources: about 1500 BC; about 1600 BC; and 1490-1436 BC;
so at least two of them are wrong. The obelisk now in New York is also said to have been constructed by order of Tuthmose 3.
In earliest times the carvings were about the Gods and Goddesses but later, such as on these
obelisks, the kings of Egypt claimed to be sons of the Gods and covered the obelisks with
announcements of their own successes.
The ancient Romans brought 12 obelisks from Egypt to Italy. And in 1585 AD Pope Sixtus V had
another one brought over to Italy and erected in St. Peter's square. Fontana, the man
commissioned to erect it, made elaborate plans. He used over 900 men, 67 horses and 40 capstans
to raise it. The Pope had a cross put on top of it, like this:
Of course a Christian cross has nothing to do with an obelisk.
Although Egypt is the real home of obelisks, few remain there. Two of
these are still standing, at Karnak.
Obelisks go very far back in ancient history, probably older than the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, and
that's said to be about 4,400 years old.
Here's a vignette from the Book of the Dead:
No one knows how old the origins of this ancient Egyptian text are, or can explain the strange
beings to whom the priests are offering sacrifices, but the beings appear to be related to obelisks.
TO HOME PAGE
When you stand beside it and look up you can get a better feeling for its power. It was carved
from a single block of stone: granite. It stands 69 1/2 feet high. It weighs about three hundred
and sixty tons with its original mount, which is missing, and it's about three thousand five
hundred years old. But you can still see the hieroglyphs carved into it. Now THAT'S an obelisk.
There's another genuine obelisk, brought from Egypt to London, England. It's 68 1/2 feet high
and stands on the Embankment beside the Thames river:
There are hieroglyphs carved into it. It's called Cleopatra's needle. She was a Queen of Egypt
and lived 68-30 BC. The obelisk has nothing to do with Cleopatra, and the plaques at the base
are not related to the obelisk. In part they commemorate the men who died bringing it to London
in 1868 AD. It was abandoned during a storm in the Bay of Biscay, but later recovered. The
obelisk is said to have been created during the reign of Pharaoh Tuthmose 3. I have three dates
for his reign, from three different sources: about 1500 BC; about 1600 BC; and 1490-1436 BC;
so at least two of them are wrong. The obelisk now in New York is also said to have been constructed by order of Tuthmose 3.
In earliest times the carvings were about the Gods and Goddesses but later, such as on these
obelisks, the kings of Egypt claimed to be sons of the Gods and covered the obelisks with
announcements of their own successes.
The ancient Romans brought 12 obelisks from Egypt to Italy. And in 1585 AD Pope Sixtus V had
another one brought over to Italy and erected in St. Peter's square. Fontana, the man
commissioned to erect it, made elaborate plans. He used over 900 men, 67 horses and 40 capstans
to raise it. The Pope had a cross put on top of it, like this:
Of course a Christian cross has nothing to do with an obelisk.
Although Egypt is the real home of obelisks, few remain there. Two of
these are still standing, at Karnak.
Obelisks go very far back in ancient history, probably older than the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, and
that's said to be about 4,400 years old.
Here's a vignette from the Book of the Dead:
No one knows how old the origins of this ancient Egyptian text are, or can explain the strange
beings to whom the priests are offering sacrifices, but the beings appear to be related to obelisks.
TO HOME PAGE
There's another genuine obelisk, brought from Egypt to London, England. It's 68 1/2 feet high
and stands on the Embankment beside the Thames river:
There are hieroglyphs carved into it. It's called Cleopatra's needle. She was a Queen of Egypt
and lived 68-30 BC. The obelisk has nothing to do with Cleopatra, and the plaques at the base
are not related to the obelisk. In part they commemorate the men who died bringing it to London
in 1868 AD. It was abandoned during a storm in the Bay of Biscay, but later recovered. The
obelisk is said to have been created during the reign of Pharaoh Tuthmose 3. I have three dates
for his reign, from three different sources: about 1500 BC; about 1600 BC; and 1490-1436 BC;
so at least two of them are wrong. The obelisk now in New York is also said to have been constructed by order of Tuthmose 3.
In earliest times the carvings were about the Gods and Goddesses but later, such as on these
obelisks, the kings of Egypt claimed to be sons of the Gods and covered the obelisks with
announcements of their own successes.
The ancient Romans brought 12 obelisks from Egypt to Italy. And in 1585 AD Pope Sixtus V had
another one brought over to Italy and erected in St. Peter's square. Fontana, the man
commissioned to erect it, made elaborate plans. He used over 900 men, 67 horses and 40 capstans
to raise it. The Pope had a cross put on top of it, like this:
Of course a Christian cross has nothing to do with an obelisk.
Although Egypt is the real home of obelisks, few remain there. Two of
these are still standing, at Karnak.
Obelisks go very far back in ancient history, probably older than the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, and
that's said to be about 4,400 years old.
Here's a vignette from the Book of the Dead:
No one knows how old the origins of this ancient Egyptian text are, or can explain the strange
beings to whom the priests are offering sacrifices, but the beings appear to be related to obelisks.
TO HOME PAGE
There are hieroglyphs carved into it. It's called Cleopatra's needle. She was a Queen of Egypt
and lived 68-30 BC. The obelisk has nothing to do with Cleopatra, and the plaques at the base
are not related to the obelisk. In part they commemorate the men who died bringing it to London
in 1868 AD. It was abandoned during a storm in the Bay of Biscay, but later recovered. The
obelisk is said to have been created during the reign of Pharaoh Tuthmose 3. I have three dates
for his reign, from three different sources: about 1500 BC; about 1600 BC; and 1490-1436 BC;
so at least two of them are wrong. The obelisk now in New York is also said to have been constructed by order of Tuthmose 3.
In earliest times the carvings were about the Gods and Goddesses but later, such as on these
obelisks, the kings of Egypt claimed to be sons of the Gods and covered the obelisks with
announcements of their own successes.
The ancient Romans brought 12 obelisks from Egypt to Italy. And in 1585 AD Pope Sixtus V had
another one brought over to Italy and erected in St. Peter's square. Fontana, the man
commissioned to erect it, made elaborate plans. He used over 900 men, 67 horses and 40 capstans
to raise it. The Pope had a cross put on top of it, like this:
Of course a Christian cross has nothing to do with an obelisk.
Although Egypt is the real home of obelisks, few remain there. Two of
these are still standing, at Karnak.
Obelisks go very far back in ancient history, probably older than the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, and
that's said to be about 4,400 years old.
Here's a vignette from the Book of the Dead:
No one knows how old the origins of this ancient Egyptian text are, or can explain the strange
beings to whom the priests are offering sacrifices, but the beings appear to be related to obelisks.
TO HOME PAGE
The ancient Romans brought 12 obelisks from Egypt to Italy. And in 1585 AD Pope Sixtus V had
another one brought over to Italy and erected in St. Peter's square. Fontana, the man
commissioned to erect it, made elaborate plans. He used over 900 men, 67 horses and 40 capstans
to raise it. The Pope had a cross put on top of it, like this:
Of course a Christian cross has nothing to do with an obelisk.
Although Egypt is the real home of obelisks, few remain there. Two of
these are still standing, at Karnak.
Obelisks go very far back in ancient history, probably older than the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, and
that's said to be about 4,400 years old.
Here's a vignette from the Book of the Dead:
No one knows how old the origins of this ancient Egyptian text are, or can explain the strange
beings to whom the priests are offering sacrifices, but the beings appear to be related to obelisks.
TO HOME PAGE
Of course a Christian cross has nothing to do with an obelisk.
Although Egypt is the real home of obelisks, few remain there. Two of
these are still standing, at Karnak.
Obelisks go very far back in ancient history, probably older than the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, and
that's said to be about 4,400 years old.
Here's a vignette from the Book of the Dead:
No one knows how old the origins of this ancient Egyptian text are, or can explain the strange
beings to whom the priests are offering sacrifices, but the beings appear to be related to obelisks.
TO HOME PAGE
Obelisks go very far back in ancient history, probably older than the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, and
that's said to be about 4,400 years old.
Here's a vignette from the Book of the Dead:
No one knows how old the origins of this ancient Egyptian text are, or can explain the strange
beings to whom the priests are offering sacrifices, but the beings appear to be related to obelisks.
TO HOME PAGE
Here's a vignette from the Book of the Dead:
No one knows how old the origins of this ancient Egyptian text are, or can explain the strange
beings to whom the priests are offering sacrifices, but the beings appear to be related to obelisks.
TO HOME PAGE