Egyptian obelisk

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An Egyptian obelisk is a tall, four-sided, tapering stone monument with a pyramidal top, originally erected in ancient Egypt as a religious and commemorative structure often inscribed with hieroglyphs.

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Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Egyptian monument
architectural structure
monument
associatedWith sun god Ra NERFINISHED
commonlyMadeOf red granite
constructedFrom monolithic granite block
single piece of stone
developedDuring Old Kingdom NERFINISHED
functionedAs cult monument
royal propaganda monument
hasConstructionTechnique quarried in Aswan
raised using earthen ramps
transported by river
hasCrossSection square
hasNotableExample Cleopatra's Needle in London NERFINISHED
Cleopatra's Needle in New York NERFINISHED
Lateran Obelisk NERFINISHED
Luxor Obelisk NERFINISHED
Obelisk of Thutmose I at Karnak NERFINISHED
Vatican Obelisk NERFINISHED
hasShape four-sided
tall
tapering
hasSurfaceDecoration vertical hieroglyphic inscriptions
hasTop pyramidal top
pyramidalion
influenced Roman obelisk tradition
modern commemorative obelisks
inscribedWith hieroglyphs
inscriptionsTypicallyRecord building achievements
dedications to gods
military victories
pharaoh's names
royal titles
madeOf stone
oftenDedicatedTo Amun-Ra NERFINISHED
Ra-Horakhty NERFINISHED
oftenErectedBy pharaohs
orientation often aligned with cardinal directions
originatedIn Ancient Egypt NERFINISHED
prominentlyUsedDuring New Kingdom NERFINISHED
relatedTo benben stone
religiousRole focus of solar worship
marker of sacred space
symbolizes divine power
sun ray
typicallyLocatedAt temple entrance
temple forecourt
usedAs commemorative monument
religious monument

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Piazza del Quirinale hasFeature Egyptian obelisk