Obelisk | Ancient Egyptian Monument & Symbolism (2024)

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Obelisk | Ancient Egyptian Monument & Symbolism? ›

For Egyptians, the obelisk was a reverential monument, commemorating the dead, representing their kings, and honoring their gods. These monuments were representational in both structure and arrangement, serving as monuments with a complete structure of understanding.

It was one of two obelisks commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmose III for the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis, near modern-day Cairo. Scholars believe that obelisks represented eternity and immortality, and their long, tapering form functioned to connect the heavens and the earth.

Serving as a religious monument, the obelisk was associated with the Bennu bird (a precursor to the Greek Phoenix), symbolizing renewal and the cyclical nature of life. Obelisks were admired and adopted by various cultures worldwide, with many being transported to Rome during the Roman Empire.

The form of a pyramid points up to the sky, and the peak symbolizes heaven on earth, much like the peak of a mountain. This explains why they used pyramids as tombs for their kings. The obelisk also symbolized a link between heaven and earth, because it utilized the pyramid form and raised it high above the ground.

Ancient Egyptians further believed that the obelisk could guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Its shape, symbolism, and use made it a powerful symbol of the strength of Egyptians' faith and the power of the Sun God Ra. Ra was an ancient deity worshiped as the primary God of the sun, order, and creation.

An obelisk is a four-sided tapering shaft with a pyramidal top, originally erected in pairs at the entrances of ancient Egyptian temples. The Egyptian obelisk was carved from a single piece of stone, usually red granite from the quarries at Aswan.

Some interpret Broken Obelisk as a universal monument to all humanity. However, the severed, upended form could also suggest that there is nothing to celebrate—perhaps an allusion to the social unrest of the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War protests occurring in the United States in the 1960s.

While mainstream scholars identify them as monuments to the pharaohs, Ancient Astronaut Theorists suggest they may have served a technological purpose-they powered a technology that allowed for communication with the gods who came from the stars. — History.com.

Herodotus was among the first writers to describe obelisks, and it's to him that we owe the word; it comes from the Greek obelos, meaning “nail” or “pointed pillar.” History buffs can still spot obelisks, also called “Cleopatra's Needles,” everywhere from Myanmar to Manhattan.

Obelisks became popular gravestone motifs in 19th-century Britain due to the discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1801 and the English occupation of Egypt. To ancient Egyptians, obelisks were petrified rays of sunlight where the sun god Ra lived. In graveyards they symbolise ancient godliness, greatness.

What God is obelisk based on? ›

In Egyptian mythology, the obelisk symbolized the sun god Ra, and during the religious reformation of Akhenaten it was said to have been a petrified ray of the Aten, the sundisk.

Tourists often ask why the obelisks of Rome have not been given back, as such it seems Egypt has not requested it, perhaps they were taken so long ago it seems natural that they remain. However, a Sudanese version 'the Axum obelisk' was in fact given back in 2005.

Built in the shape of an Egyptian obelisk, evoking the timelessness of ancient civilizations, the Washington Monument embodies the awe, respect, and gratitude the nation felt for its most essential Founding Father. When completed, the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world at 555 feet, 5-1/8 inches.

These structures, characterized by a four-sided square base that tapered into an isosceles pyramidion at the top, initially symbolized rebirth, and were used as funerary monuments. These commemorative structures were believed to attract the reviving rays of the sun, thereby allowing the resurrection of the deceased.

An obelisk is a stone rectangular pillar with a tapered top forming a pyramidion, set on a base, erected to commemorate an individual or event and honor the gods. The ancient Egyptians created the form at some point in the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-c.

A dagger, obelisk, or obelus † is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species or languages).

History of the Obelisk

The Obelisk (Greek for "pointed instrument") was created roughly 3,500 years ago in Egypt. To celebrate Pharaoh Thutmose III's 30th year of reign, stonecutters carved two obelisks out of granite and installed them outside of the Temple of the Sun in the ancient Egyptian city of Heliopolis.

Obelisks. The Egyptians were among the first to formally divide their days into parts resembling hours. Obelisks—slender, tapering, four-sided monuments—were built as early as 3500 BCE. Their moving shadows formed a kind of sundial, enabling citizens to partition the day into two parts by indicating noon.

When we think of black stone models of ancient Egyptian obelisks, we think of the variety of nero antico marble replicas fashioned in Rome, generally in the mid-19^th century.

So they used levers. Among the most basic and time-tested of all machines to make use of mechanical advantage, levers were used to prop up the obelisk to a position from which it could then be set upright.