Lateran Obelisk, Egyptian obelisk in Lateran, Italy
The Lateran Obelisk is a 32-meter monolith of rose granite standing at the center of Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano. All four sides of the monument are covered with Egyptian hieroglyphs from base to tip, running continuously along each face.
Pharaoh Thutmose III commissioned the monument in the 15th century BC for the Temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak. Emperor Constantius II brought the obelisk to Rome in 357 AD, where it was later erected at its current location.
The hieroglyphic texts running along all four sides record ceremonies and divine honors from the age of the pharaohs. Visitors today can study these well-preserved symbols up close, reading about the religious world of ancient Egypt.
The obelisk stands freely on an open square beside the Lateran Basilica and can be viewed from all sides. Early morning or late afternoon provides the best light for photographs and for examining the hieroglyphs.
Three centuries after arriving in Rome, the obelisk lay broken on the ground until Pope Sixtus V ordered its restoration in 1588. Its weight of 455 tons made it the heaviest object ever transported across the Mediterranean.
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