Obelisk of Theodosius
The Obelisk of Theodosius (Turkish: Dikilitas) is the Ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Tutmoses III re-erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in the 4th century AD.
History
The obelisk was first set up by Tutmoses III (1479–1425 BC) to the south of the seventh pylon of the great temple of Karnak. The Roman emperor Constantius II (337-361 AD) had it and another obelisk transported along the river Nile to Alexandria to commemorate his ventennalia (20 year monarchy) in 357. The other obelisk was erected on the spina of the Circus Maximus in Rome in the autumn of that year, and is today known as the Lateran obelisk, whilst the obelisk that would become the obelisk of Theodosius remained in Alexandria until 390, when Theodosius I (378-392 AD) had it transported to Constantinople and put up on the spina of the Hippodrome.
Database entry
An authentic Egyptian obelisk commissioned by the Pharaoh Thutmose III, this monument occupied a place of prominence outside the temple of Karnak in Egypt. Carved from exquisite red-granite, the hieroglyphs on its four sides recount the tales of some of the Pharaoh’s greatest military victories.
In 357 CE the obelisk was unabashedly pilfered by the Roman Emperor Constantinus II and taken to Alexandria in celebration of his 20th year as sovereign. There it remained for forty years until the Emperor Theodosius moved it again, this time to Constantinople where he placed it in the Hippodrome on an ornately carved base that he had specially constructed to hold it.
Gallery
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Artwork.
