Obelisk of Theodosius Review

The obelisk is another masterpiece of ancient Egypt and the most distinctive symbol of ancient Egyptian civilization besides the pyramid. The shape of the obelisk is pointed, square and columnar, and gradually shrinks from the bottom to the top. The top of the obelisk is like the tip of a pyramid. Wrapped in gold, copper or gold-silver alloy, it shines like a dazzling sun when the sun rises eastward to the top of the monument. The obelisk is usually carved out of granite, weighing hundreds of tons. It is engraved with hieroglyphs on all sides, illustrating three different purposes of the monument - "religion (often dedicated to the sun god Amon), commemoration (often used to commemorate Pharaoh's reign for several years) and decoration. At the same time, the obelisk is also a powerful symbol of the authority of the Egyptian Empire. From the time of the Kingdom (about 2133 BC, 1786 BC), the Pharaohs erected cubic steeples during the year of amnesty or when they showed off their victory, usually in pairs, on either side of the temple pagoda. Although it is known that there was an obelisk as early as the fourth dynasty in ancient Egypt, there were no relics at that time, only that the monument was not more than 3 meters, nor beautiful. The oldest and most complete monument in existence was built during the reign of Pharaoh Sinusselt I of the Twelfth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (about 1786 years before 1991) (about 1928 years before 1971). It was erected in front of the former Temple of the Sun City of Hiliopoli in the northeastern suburb of Cairo. The obelisk, 20.7 meters high and 121 tons in weight, was built by Sinusselt I to celebrate the crown of the king. Digging and erecting cubic steeple is a difficult project. According to the records, it took seven months to dig out the monolithic stone from Aswan to Debes. In the Mausoleum of Queen Hetesipusu in Aswan, there are pictures of barges transporting the Obelisk from the Nile River. Upon arrival at the destination, the obelisk is lifted onto a mound of earth and then erected on the base. Due to the looting of modern cultural relics, there are only five obelisks left in Egypt, the home of the obelisk. The other obelisks are scattered all over the world.