Obelisk

For other uses, see Obelisk (disambiguation). For other monumental, upright, inscribed and sculpted stones, see Stele.

The Hanging obelisk of Ramesses II, the first hanging Egyptian obelisk in the world. It is located at the entrance to the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, a pink granite monolithic column, 16 metres (52 feet) high, including the base, which weighs around 110 metric tons (120 short tons).

One of the two Luxor Obelisks, on the Place de la Concorde in Paris; a red granite monolithic column, 23 metres (75 feet) high, including the base, which weighs over 250 metric tons (280 short tons).

Lateran Obelisk in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, Rome. With its height of 32.18 metres (105.6 feet) (with the base and the cross it reaches 45.70 m) it is the largest standing ancient monolithic obelisk in the world.

An obelisk (/ˈɒbəlɪsk/; from Ancient Greek ὀβελίσκος (obelískos), diminutive of ὀβελός (obelós) ' spit, nail, pointed pillar'), less often spelled obelisque, is a tapered, four-sided stone monument that is usually monolithic and has a pyramidal top. Originally constructed by the Egyptians and called tekhenu, the Greeks used the Greek term obeliskos to describe them, and this word passed into Latin and ultimately English. Though William Thomas used the term correctly in his Historie of Italie of 1549, by the late sixteenth century (after reduced contact with Italy following the excommunication of Queen Elizabeth), Shakespeare failed to distinguish between pyramids and obelisks in his plays and sonnets. Ancient obelisks are monolithic and consist of a single stone; most modern obelisks are made of several stones.