Obelisk with Inscriptions on all Four Sides
ca. 360–342 B.C.E.
1 of 8
Object Label
Egyptian obelisks were erected in front of temples and tombs and were usually dedicated to Re-Horakhty or another manifestation of the sun god. The pyramid-like top was both a solar symbol and a representation of the primeval hill on which the creator-god first stood; the obelisk as a whole thus formed a point of contact between earth and heaven. This obelisk is dedicated to the sacred bull of the town of Horbeit, who embodied the destructive power of Horus against his enemies and those of his father, Osiris.
Caption
Obelisk with Inscriptions on all Four Sides, ca. 360–342 B.C.E.. Granite, 25 x 7 5/16 x 7 5/16 in. (63.5 x 18.5 x 18.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 36.614. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Title
Obelisk with Inscriptions on all Four Sides
Date
ca. 360–342 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 30
Period
Late Period
Geography
Possible place made: Horbeit (Pharbaethos), Egypt
Medium
Granite
Classification
Dimensions
25 x 7 5/16 x 7 5/16 in. (63.5 x 18.5 x 18.5 cm)
Credit Line
Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
Accession Number
36.614
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