Obelisk with Inscriptions on all Four Sides
ca. 360-342 B.C.E.
Maker Unknown
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
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.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Granite
- Medium
- granite
- Locations
- Possible place made: Horbeit (Pharbaethos), Egypt
- Dynasty
- Dynasty 30
- Period
- Late Period
- Dimensions
- 25 x 7 5/16 x 7 5/16 in. (63.5 x 18.5 x 18.5 cm)
- Accession Number
- 36.614
- Credit Line
- Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
- Exhibitions
- Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity
- Rights Statement
- Creative Commons-BY
- Museum Location
- This item is not on view
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