Egyptian obelisk

E544615

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.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Egyptian obelisk canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Egyptian monument
architectural structure
monument
associatedWith sun god Ra
linked to: Re (sun god)
commonlyMadeOf red granite
constructedFrom monolithic granite block
single piece of stone
developedDuring Old Kingdom
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
Cleopatra's Needle in New York
Lateran Obelisk
Luxor Obelisk
linked to: Obelisk of Luxor

Obelisk of Thutmose I at Karnak
Vatican Obelisk
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
linked to: Amun

Ra-Horakhty
oftenErectedBy pharaohs
orientation often aligned with cardinal directions
originatedIn Ancient Egypt
linked to: Pharaonic Egypt
prominentlyUsedDuring New Kingdom
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

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

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

Piazza del Quirinale hasFeature Egyptian obelisk