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Cleopatra's Needle: An Obelisk of Mythological Significance

Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk from Ancient Egypt located in central London, standing over 20 meters tall.
The obelisk was originally one of a pair made for the entrance to the great temple of the sun god, Ra, in Heliopolis.
The priests of Heliopolis were renowned for their knowledge and wisdom, and many of the myths discussed in the book may have originated there.
The obelisks were made to facilitate the daily cycle in which the sun god renewed the universe, and were covered in an alloy of gold and silver.
Cleopatra's Needle represents the western horizon, the place of sunset and death, while the other obelisk represents the eastern horizon, the place of dawn and rebirth.
Individual obelisks also stood for the primeval mound, the place of the very first sunrise at the dawn of creation, and acted as markers of mythological time.
The obelisks were inscribed by Ramesses II and may have been moved to the Nile Delta before ending up in Alexandria during the Ptolemy dynasty.
The obelisks were re-erected by Emperor Augustus outside a temple dedicated to the cult of Julius Caesar.
The western obelisk was toppled by an earthquake and later offered to Britain in 1801 as a gift.
The obelisk was transported to Britain on the barge 'Cleopatra' in 1877, with the loss of six lives during the journey.
The successful erection of the obelisk on the Thames embankment inspired the transportation and erection of the other obelisk in Central Park, New York in 1881.
Egyptian obelisks have been assigned new meanings in new contexts, but in their original setting, they celebrated the victory of life over death.

Cleopatra's Needle: An Obelisk of Mythological Significance

Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk from Ancient Egypt located in central London, standing over 20 meters tall.
The obelisk was originally one of a pair made for the entrance to the great temple of the sun god, Ra, in Heliopolis.
The priests of Heliopolis were renowned for their knowledge and wisdom, and many of the myths discussed in the book may have originated there.
The obelisks were made to facilitate the daily cycle in which the sun god renewed the universe, and were covered in an alloy of gold and silver.
Cleopatra's Needle represents the western horizon, the place of sunset and death, while the other obelisk represents the eastern horizon, the place of dawn and rebirth.
Individual obelisks also stood for the primeval mound, the place of the very first sunrise at the dawn of creation, and acted as markers of mythological time.
The obelisks were inscribed by Ramesses II and may have been moved to the Nile Delta before ending up in Alexandria during the Ptolemy dynasty.
The obelisks were re-erected by Emperor Augustus outside a temple dedicated to the cult of Julius Caesar.
The western obelisk was toppled by an earthquake and later offered to Britain in 1801 as a gift.
The obelisk was transported to Britain on the barge 'Cleopatra' in 1877, with the loss of six lives during the journey.
The successful erection of the obelisk on the Thames embankment inspired the transportation and erection of the other obelisk in Central Park, New York in 1881.
Egyptian obelisks have been assigned new meanings in new contexts, but in their original setting, they celebrated the victory of life over death.

Cleopatra's Needle: An Obelisk of Mythological Significance

Cleopatra's Needle is an obelisk from Ancient Egypt located in central London, standing over 20 meters tall.
The obelisk was originally one of a pair made for the entrance to the great temple of the sun god, Ra, in Heliopolis.
The priests of Heliopolis were renowned for their knowledge and wisdom, and many of the myths discussed in the book may have originated there.
The obelisks were made to facilitate the daily cycle in which the sun god renewed the universe, and were covered in an alloy of gold and silver.
Cleopatra's Needle represents the western horizon, the place of sunset and death, while the other obelisk represents the eastern horizon, the place of dawn and rebirth.
Individual obelisks also stood for the primeval mound, the place of the very first sunrise at the dawn of creation, and acted as markers of mythological time.
The obelisks were inscribed by Ramesses II and may have been moved to the Nile Delta before ending up in Alexandria during the Ptolemy dynasty.
The obelisks were re-erected by Emperor Augustus outside a temple dedicated to the cult of Julius Caesar.
The western obelisk was toppled by an earthquake and later offered to Britain in 1801 as a gift.
The obelisk was transported to Britain on the barge 'Cleopatra' in 1877, with the loss of six lives during the journey.
The successful erection of the obelisk on the Thames embankment inspired the transportation and erection of the other obelisk in Central Park, New York in 1881.
Egyptian obelisks have been assigned new meanings in new contexts, but in their original setting, they celebrated the victory of life over death.