Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren vogebam here. When it comes to astonishing
Speaker 1: architectural achievements of ancient Egypt, the first example that comes
Speaker 1: to mind maybe the pyramids. But these historic structures aren't
Speaker 1: the only majestic geometric feats to originate from this civilization.
Speaker 1: In fact, their rectangular cousin, the obelisk, can be found
Speaker 1: in countries throughout the world, from Washington, d C. To Paris, France,
Speaker 1: but the iconic monuments are still shrouded in a fair
Speaker 1: amount of mystery. We spoke by email with historian Pamela
Speaker 1: oh Long. She said obelisks originated in ancient Egypt. They
Speaker 1: were spectacular monuments, often dedicated to the solar gods of Egypt,
Speaker 1: but also representing the power of the Pharaoh. They were
Speaker 1: monuments to the fusion of earthly and divine power. According
Speaker 1: to Long, obelisks first appeared in the fifth and six
Speaker 1: dynasties of the Old Kingdom circa four b C, the
Speaker 1: same era in which the Pyramids of Giza were built.
Speaker 1: She explained, the important central fact about obelisks is that
Speaker 1: they are monoliths carved out of granite. Most from the
Speaker 1: Aswan Quarry in Lower Egypt. As a single block of
Speaker 1: stone weighing several hundred tons, the base was a square.
Speaker 1: It gradually tapered as it rose, and was capped by
Speaker 1: a pyramid shaped structure called a pyramidian. If creating an
Speaker 1: artistically designed architectural masterpiece out of several hundred tons of
Speaker 1: stone sounds impossibly challenging, that's because it nearly was, Along said,
Speaker 1: Carving out an obelisk from the bedrock of the quarry,
Speaker 1: dragging it to the transport ship on the Nile River,
Speaker 1: offloading it, dragging it to where it was to stand,
Speaker 1: and then raising it was a tremendous feat of high
Speaker 1: technological skill and brute labor. The fact that these original
Speaker 1: structures were monolithic, meaning that they were carved from one
Speaker 1: single piece of stone, makes them distinct from more modern versions.
Speaker 1: Along said, many people don't realize that the ancient Egyptian
Speaker 1: obelisk was a monolith. This is one thing that makes
Speaker 1: them beautiful and remarkable. There are obelisk shaped masonry structures,
Speaker 1: such as the Washington Monument in Washington, d c. But
Speaker 1: of course they differ from the ancient Egyptian monolithic structures.
Speaker 1: According to experts, obelisks were often associated with the ancient
Speaker 1: Egyptian sun god Raw, but their meaning may go even deeper.
Speaker 1: But we also spoke via email with Vicky al Mansa
Speaker 1: Vila Toro, a PhD Candidate in Egyptology at Brown University.
Speaker 1: She said, the obelisk is a solar symbol of regeneration
Speaker 1: and creation, and it symbolizes the ben Ben Stone. What
Speaker 1: is the ben Ben Stone? According to the ancient Egyptian
Speaker 1: myths of creation or cosmogenys, in the beginning, there was
Speaker 1: a primordial ocean of nothingness called new Among these cosmogonies,
Speaker 1: the Heliopolitan account describes how the first thing to ever
Speaker 1: arise from these was a mound of earth, the so
Speaker 1: called primordial Hill. This mound is clearly inspired by the
Speaker 1: fertile hills that emerged from the waters of the Nile
Speaker 1: every year after the annual flood began to recede and
Speaker 1: the crop growing season approached. The ben Ben is actually
Speaker 1: the icon the magical representation of the primordial hill. According
Speaker 1: to a months of Villa Toro, the ben Ben was
Speaker 1: likely an actual mound shaped monument that residents of Heliopolis
Speaker 1: worshiped she said, the sun temples of the Fifth dynasty
Speaker 1: incorporated amount of earth resembling a small pyramid in their courtyards,
Speaker 1: and likewise, obelisks are topped by a small pyramidian. Thus,
Speaker 1: both the obelisks and the pyramids are regenerative icons and
Speaker 1: rooted in the symbolism of the primordial hill and the
Speaker 1: ben Ben stone. The Egyptian myths of the creation are
Speaker 1: multiple and sometimes contradictory. The myth that incorporates the primordial
Speaker 1: hill and thus the ben Ben is the Heliopolitan myth.
Speaker 1: Heliopolis was the city of worship of the sun god
Speaker 1: Ra and as many manifestations. One significant feature found on
Speaker 1: many of the original obelisks is their decoration. Along said,
Speaker 1: obelisks were often found ornamented on all four sides with
Speaker 1: hieroglyphic writing, which for the most part commemorated the pharaoh
Speaker 1: and his or her deeds. Of course, some of Egypt's
Speaker 1: obelisks have been removed from their original context. Along said,
Speaker 1: It's also true the obelisks are ancient monuments that can
Speaker 1: be moved, so their meaning has changed as they are
Speaker 1: moved from one location and culture to another. The obelisks
Speaker 1: in Egypt, Rome, Istanbul, Paris, London, and New York all
Speaker 1: have meant very different things to the people and culture
Speaker 1: that possesses them, very different from that of the ancient Egyptians.
Speaker 1: The oldest man made object in Central Park and the
Speaker 1: oldest outdoor monument in New York City is the obelisk
Speaker 1: known as Cleopatra's Needle. It's over three thousand years old,
Speaker 1: stand sixty nine ft high and ways in and an
Speaker 1: amazing two d and twenty tons. It was erected in
Speaker 1: Central Park on January twenty second of eighteen eighty one,
Speaker 1: after having been sold to the United States by the
Speaker 1: Egyptian government. One particularly famous relocation was that of the
Speaker 1: Vatican Obelisk at the center of Rome St. Peter's Square.
Speaker 1: Along said it's famous because of the renown it acquired,
Speaker 1: and not when it was brought by the ancient Romans
Speaker 1: from Egypt to Rome after the Roman conquest of Egypt,
Speaker 1: but when Pope's sixth is the fifth Antis engineer Domenico
Speaker 1: Fontana moved the obelisk from the side of St. Peter's
Speaker 1: to the front where it now stands. This occurred in
Speaker 1: a dramatic series of steps, with all of Rome watching
Speaker 1: in the spring, summer and early fall of fifteen eighty six.
Speaker 1: The dramatic transport process was fraught with danger and celebrated
Speaker 1: all around Italy. When it was accomplished, Long said, the
Speaker 1: engineer wrote a wonderful book with spectacularly detailed woodcuts, explaining
Speaker 1: every step of the move, including all the ben and
Speaker 1: machinery that where used. This account was published in We
Speaker 1: can marvel at it today both because of Fontana's lucid
Speaker 1: explanations and the illuminating illustrations. While obelisks are rich in
Speaker 1: meaning and historical significance, their main attraction may really be
Speaker 1: their inspiring esthetics. Long said. If you are ever in egypt,
Speaker 1: istanbul Rome, Paris, London, or New York, stop to really
Speaker 1: look at the obelisks. They are immensely heavy, but also fragile.
Speaker 1: They're the oldest or among the oldest human made structures
Speaker 1: that exist in whichever city you find them. They display
Speaker 1: a subtle geometry. Block out the traffic, noise and other distractions,
Speaker 1: and spend some time looking at the obelisk walking around
Speaker 1: it if you can observing the hieroglyphs, the pyramidian pointing
Speaker 1: to the sun, immensely heavy monuments that are also transportable.
Speaker 1: They connect us to an ancient past, but can be
Speaker 1: deeply moving in the present as well. Today's episode was
Speaker 1: written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by Tyler Clay. For
Speaker 1: more on this and loss of other curious topics, visit
Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. Brainstuff is production of I
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