Obelisk of Lateran
The obelisk of Lateran or obelisk of the place Saint-Jean-of-Lateran is an Egyptian obelisk from -, set up at the origin in the east of the temple of Amon-Re to Karnak by the Pharaon Thoutmôsis {{III}} (- the 1504/-1450).
It is largest of all the Obélisque S Egyptians.
The obelisk of Thoutmôsis III in Karnak
The obelisk is covered with hiéroglyphes: one sees, on the central columns of the four faces, the king Thoutmôsis {{III}} receiving the Amon-Re blessing or Amon-Aton, and also depositing offerings with the gods. His/her son Thoutmôsis {{IV}} added the side columns which content the embellishment with the temple by this king, and also work of the craftsmen on the obelisk, who did not last less thirty-five years.
The specialists wondered a long time which could be the site of origin of this obelisk. The French Egyptologist Gustave Lefebvre (1879-1957) thought, in the light of the inscriptions, that the monolith was to come from Karnak and, more precisely, of the part is large temple. His/her colleague Paul Barguet discovered the exact site in the east of the village hall of Thoutmôsis {{III}} by putting at the day four large blocks of assembled sandstones in Dovetail identified like his base.
Transport in Rome
Ammien Marcellin reports that Auguste had thought of transporting this obelisk, then had had to give up it and choose one of more modest size of them, within sight of the technical difficulties that posed at the time.
It is Constantin (272-337) which, in 337, made it transport Thèbes to Alexandria, to set it up with Constantinople. But it did not have time to conclude its project, and his/her son Constance {{II}} (337-361), his successor, preferred to forward it to Rome in 357, intending it for the Spina of the Circus Maximus: the giant thus took seat at the side of the obelisk of Auguste, currently Obélisque of the piazza del Popolo.
Restoration by Quint Sixth
It was found in 1587, with a 7 m depth, was broken in three pieces, at the time of excavations led to the Grand Circus by the pope Sixte Quint, who made it restore and finally réériger on the place Saint-Jean-of-Lateran the following year (August 3rd, 1588) by the engineer Domenico Fontana. The inauguration took place on August 10th, 1588.
Weight, dimensions
The low part misses, on approximately a 0,30 m height, which could not be preserved at the time of the restoration of 1588. The point also disappeared.
-
current Height: 32,18 m (probable height of origin: approximately 32,50 m)
- current Height with the Pedestal: 45,70 m
- Weight, according to the authors: 230 T, or 350 T, or even 455 T (L. Habachi).
Its weight can be only higher than that of the Obélisque of Louxor, Place of the Harmony to Paris, definitely less bulky and given for 230 T.
Dependant articles
- List of the monuments of ancient Rome
- Obelisk
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