List of obelisks in Rome

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Obelisk in Lateran Square
Engraving by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1748)
Antique obelisk spike from the Capitoline Museums

Rome is the city with the most ancient obelisks and is therefore also called the city ​​of obelisks . Eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks have been erected in the city area, and another obelisk is rumored to be buried near the church of San Luigi dei Francesi .

Most of the obelisks were brought to Rome from Egypt by the Roman emperors , and some were made directly in Rome. They were raised up again by the popes and placed in new locations. Some of them were intended to serve as signposts for pilgrims , for example in front of the Lateran or at Santa Maria Maggiore .

The Mussolini Obelisk, created in the 20th century and inaugurated by Mussolini on November 4, 1932 on the Foro Mussolini (today Foro Italico ), occupies a special position . An ancient Ethiopian stele stood in the city until 2005 .

Overview

The obelisks are listed according to their origin and their height.

Surname origin Obtained height (m) Weight (t) Location Geographic coordinates image
Lateran obelisk Egyptian 34 460 Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano 41 ° 53 '12.6 "  N , 12 ° 30' 17.2"  E Obelisk in Lateran Square


Vatican obelisk Egyptian 25th 326 St. Peter's Square 41 ° 54 '8.1 "  N , 12 ° 27' 26.1"  E The obelisk in St. Peter's Square


Obelisco Flaminio Egyptian 23.84 263 Piazza del Popolo 41 ° 54 ′ 38.6 "  N , 12 ° 28 ′ 34.8"  E Obelisk in Piazza del Popolo
Obelisco di Montecitorio Egyptian 21.79 214 Piazza Montecitorio 41 ° 54 '2.5 "  N , 12 ° 28' 43.2"  E Obelisk in front of the Palazzo di Montecitorio
Obelisco Macuteo Egyptian 6.34 ? Piazza della Rotonda 41 ° 53 ′ 57.6 "  N , 12 ° 28 ′ 36.3"  E The obelisk in front of the Pantheon
Obelisco di Dogali Egyptian 6th ? Viale delle Terme di Diocleziano 41 ° 54 '7.8 "  N , 12 ° 29" 50.9 "  E The Obelisco di Dogali in the park on Viale delle Terme di Diocleziano
Obelisco della Minerva Egyptian 5.47 5 Piazza della Minerva 41 ° 53 '52.7 "  N , 12 ° 28' 39.2"  E Bernini's elephant in the Piazza della Minerva
Obelisco Matteiano Egyptian 2.68 ? Villa Celimontana 41 ° 53 '0.2 "  N , 12 ° 29" 43.2 "  E Obelisk in the park of Villa Celimontana
Obelisco Agonale Roman 16.54 93 Piazza Navona 41 ° 53 '56.3 "  N , 12 ° 28' 23.1"  E Obelisk in Piazza Navona
Obelisco Esquilino Roman 14.7 ? Piazza dell'Esquilino 41 ° 53 ′ 53.4 "  N , 12 ° 29 ′ 51"  E Rear view of Santa Maria Maggiore with the obelisk
Obelisco del Quirinale Roman 14.7 ? Piazza del Quirinale 41 ° 53 ′ 56.7 "  N , 12 ° 29 ′ 11.9"  E Obelisk in front of the Quirinals Palace
Obelisco Sallustiano Roman 13.92 ? in front of Santissima Trinità dei Monti 41 ° 54 '22.1 "  N , 12 ° 28' 59.6"  E The Obelisco Sallustiano
Obelisco Pinciano Roman 9.35 18th Viale dell'Obelisco, Pincio 41 ° 54 '38.9 "  N , 12 ° 28' 47.1"  E Antinous Obelisk on the Pincio


Mussolini Obelisk Italian 17.4 300 Foro Italico 41 ° 55 '54.9 "  N , 12 ° 27' 31.8"  E The Mussolini Obelisk, 2012

The following obelisk was also temporarily in Rome

Surname origin Obtained height (m) Weight (t) Former location in Rome Location today Year of return
Axum Obelisk Ethiopian 24 160 Piazza di Porta Capena Axum , Ethiopia 2005

See also

literature

  • Samuel Ball Platner , Thomas Ashby : A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Oxford University Press, London 1929, pp. 366-371. (on-line)
  • Cesare D'Onofrio: Gli obelischi di Roma. Bulzoni, Rome 1967.
  • Erik Iversen: Obelisks in exile. Volume 1: The obelisks of Rome. Gad, Copenhagen 1968.
  • Ernst Batta: Obelisks. Egyptian obelisks and their history in Rome (= Insel-Taschenbuch. Volume 765). Insel, Frankfurt a. M. 1986, ISBN 3-458-32465-8 .
  • Giovanni Cipriani: Gli obelischi egizi. Politica e cultura nella Roma barocca. Olschki, Florence 1993, ISBN 88-222-4060-X .
  • Labib Habachi : The immortal obelisks of Egypt. Revised and expanded new edition by Carola Vogel. von Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2658-0 .
  • Klaus Bartels : Rome's speaking stones. 2nd Edition. von Zabern, Mainz 2001, ISBN 3-8053-2690-4 .
  • Armin Wirsching: How the obelisks were erected at the turn of the ages and in the 4th century. In: Gymnasium . Volume 113, 2006, pp. 329-358.
  • Armin Wirsching: Transporting and erecting obelisks in Egypt and Rome. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2007, ISBN 978-3-8334-8513-8 (3rd edition, Norderstedt 2013).
  • Susan Sorek: The Emperors' Needles. Egyptian Obelisks and Rome. Bristol Phoenix Press, Exeter 2010, ISBN 978-1-904675-30-3 . (Review by Andrea Schütze, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review. December 8, 2010. (online, German) .)

Web links

Commons : Obelisks in Rome  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.travel.it/en/structures/rome/itineraries/egyptian-obelisks
  2. ↑ Carola Vogel: A Search for Traces - Roman Obelisks at a Glance. In: Labib Habachi (ed.): The immortal obelisks of Egypt. Revised and expanded new edition, von Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2658-0 , pp. 103–113.