List of obelisks in Rome

19th century collage of the twelve obelisks in Rome at the time (the Dogali obelisk was found later). Note the photos of 10 and 11 are incorrectly swapped.

The city of Rome harbours thirteen ancient obelisks, the most in the world. There are eight ancient Egyptian and five ancient Roman obelisks in Rome, together with a number of more modern obelisks (more than 30), most notably that which was dedicated to Marconi, and one dedicated to Mussolini. There was also an ancient Ethiopian obelisk in Rome, which was taken by Italy in the 1930s but was restored, and repatriated to Ethiopia in the early 2000's. The Egyptian obelisks were ordered to be brought to city by Roman Emperors in antiquity.

It is unknown exactly how many obelisks once stood in Ancient Rome as there were no inventories made of them before the fall of Rome. What is known is that many were brought to Rome (either taken from Temples by various Emperors, or commissioned and quarried in Egypt by wealthy Romans) for public of private purposes. The Romans used special heavy cargo carriers called obelisk ships to transport the monuments they took from Egyptian temples down the Nile to Alexandria and from there across the Mediterranean Sea to Rome. On site, large Roman cranes were employed to erect the monoliths. According to a traditional estimate, as many as 48 obelisks may have once stood in Rome, though this number is not attested in any single ancient source and is likely a modern guess.

Ancient Egyptian obelisks

See also: Egyptian obelisks

At least eight obelisks created in antiquity by the Egyptians were taken from Egypt after the Roman conquest and brought to Rome.

Ancient Egyptian obelisks in Rome

Name	Original Commissioner	Location	Height (with base shaft)	Description	Image
Lateranense	Tuthmosis III / Tuthmosis IV	Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano 41°53′12.6″N 12°30′17.2″E	45.70 m 32.18 m	Tallest obelisk in Rome, and the largest standing ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world, originally weighing around 455 tons. From the temple of Amun in Karnak,map and brought to Alexandria with another obelisk by Constantius II, and brought on its own from there to Rome in 357 to decorate the spina of the Circus Maximus.map Found in three pieces in 1587, restored approximately 4 m shorter by Pope Sixtus V, and erected near the Lateran Palace and Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in 1588 in the place of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, which was moved to the Capitoline Hill. Current version weighs around 330 tons.
Vaticano	Unknown	St. Peter's Square 41°54′8.1″N 12°27′26.1″E	41 m 25.5 m	Old St. Peter's Basilica with the obelisk at the left in its original place. Originally raised in the Forum Iulium in Alexandriamap by the prefect Cornelius Gallus on Augustus' orders around 30–28 BC. No hieroglyphs. Brought to Rome by Caligula in 40 for the spina of the Vatican Circus.map Relocated by Pope Sixtus V in 1586 using a method devised by Domenico Fontana; the first monumental obelisk raised in the modern period, it is the only obelisk in Rome that has not toppled since Roman times. During the Middle Ages, the gilt ball on top of the obelisk was believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar. Fontana later removed the ancient metal ball, now in a Rome museum, that stood atop the obelisk and found only dust. Pedro Tafur in his Andanças (c. 1440) mentions that many passed between the ground and the "tower" base "thinking it a saintly thing".
Flaminio	Seti I / Ramses II	Piazza del Popolo 41°54′38.6″N 12°28′34.8″E	36.50 m 24 m	Originally from Heliopolis.map Brought to Rome by Augustus in 10 BC with the Solare obelisk and erected on the spina of the Circus Maximus.map Found with the Lateranense obelisk in 1587 in two pieces and erected by Pope Sixtus V in 1589. Sculptures with lion fountains were added to the base in 1818. Weighs around 235 tons.
Solare	Psammetichus II	Piazza di Montecitorio 41°54′2.5″N 12°28′43.2″E	33.97 m 21.79 m	Originally from Heliopolis.map Brought to Rome by Augustus in 10 BC with the Flaminio obelisk to form the gnomon of the Solarium Augusti in the Campus Martius.map Found in the 16th century but reburied. Rediscovered and erected by Pope Pius VI in front of the Palazzo Montecitorio in 1792.
Macuteo	Ramses II	Piazza della Rotonda 41°53′57.6″N 12°28′36.3″E	14.52 m 6.34 m	Originally one of a pair at the Temple of Ra in Heliopolis, the other being the now much shorter Matteiano. Moved to the Temple of Isis near Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Found in 1373 near San Macuto and erected in Piazza Macuta. Moved to the front of the Pantheon by Pope Clement XI in 1711 over a fountain by Filippo Barigioni.
Minerveo	Apries	Piazza della Minerva 41°53′52.7″N 12°28′39.2″E	12.69 m 5.47 m	Originally one of a pair from Sais. Brought to Rome by Diocletian for the nearby Temple of Isis. Found in 1655 and erected in 1667 by Pope Alexander VII on an Elephant base by Bernini, behind the Pantheon in Piazza della Minerva. The other of the pair is in Urbino. This is the smallest obelisk in Rome, with a height of 5.47 meters.
Dogali	Ramses II	Baths of Diocletian 41°54′7.8″N 12°29′50.9″E	6.34 m ?	Originally one of a pair from Heliopolis, the other now in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. Moved to the Temple of Isis in Rome. Found in 1883 by Rodolfo Lanciani near Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Now commemorates the Battle of Dogali, originally in front of Near Termini Station and moved to its present site in 1924.
Matteiano	Ramses II	Villa Celimontana 41°53′0.2″N 12°29′43.2″E	12.23 m 2.68 m	Originally one of a pair at the Temple of Ra in Heliopolis, the other being the Macuteo which retains much more of its original height. Moved to the Temple of Isis near Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Found in the 14th century and erected east of Santa Maria in Aracoeli on the Capitoline. Moved to Villa Celimontana after Michelangelo redesigned the square in the late 16th century. Lost again; fragments rediscovered and re-erected in 1820. Smallest obelisk in Rome. Further details

Ancient Roman obelisks

At least five obelisks were manufactured in Egypt in the Roman period at the request of the wealthy Romans, or made in Rome as copies of ancient Egyptian originals.

Ancient Roman obelisks in Rome

Name	Commissioner	Location	Height (with base shaft)	Description	Image
Agonalis (Pamphilius)	Domitian (c. 81–96 AD)	Piazza Navona 41°53′56.3″N 12°28′23.1″E	30+ m 16.53 m	A copy erected at the Temple of Serapis. Moved to the Circus of Maxentius by Maxentius. The Earl of Arundel paid a deposit and attempted to ship the four pieces to London in the late 1630s but Urban VIII disallowed its export. Erected on top of the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi by Bernini in 1651.
Quirinale	Augustus (c. 10 BC)	Piazza del Quirinale 41°53′56.7″N 12°29′11.9″E	28.94 m 14.63 m	Originally erected on the eastern flank of the Mausoleum of Augustus, paired with the Esquiline obelisk. Found in 1527. Erected by Pope Pius VI in 1786 on the Quirinal Hill next to statues of the Dioscuri (called the 'Horse Tamers') from the Baths of Constantine.
Esquiline	Augustus (c. 10 BC)	Piazza dell'Esquilino 41°53′53.4″N 12°29′51″E	25.53 m 14.75 m	Originally erected on the western flank of the Mausoleum of Augustus, paired with the Quirinale obelisk. Found in 1527 and erected in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V behind Santa Maria Maggiore.
Sallustiano	Aurelian (c. 270–275 AD)	Trinità dei Monti 41°54′22.1″N 12°28′59.6″E	30.45 m 13.91 m	Above the Spanish Steps. An Aurelian copy, although smaller, of the Flaminio obelisk of Ramses II in the Piazza del Popolo, for the Gardens of Sallust. Found by the Ludovisi and moved to the Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano in 1734, but kept horizontal. Erected in 1789 by Pope Pius VI.
Pinciano	Hadrian (c. 130 AD)	Pincian Hill 41°54′38.9″N 12°28′47.1″E	17.26 m 9.24 m	Commissioned for the tomb of Antinous in Tivoli. Moved to Rome by Elagabalus to decorate the spina of the Circus Varianus. Found in the 16th century near the Porta Maggiore. Moved to the Palazzo Barberini, then moved to the Vatican by Pope Clement XIV; finally erected on the Pincian by Pope Pius VII in 1822.

Obelisks which previously stood in Rome

A number of obelisks were erected in Rome over the course of its long history. The following table lists the known obelisks (and one stele) which have been re-erected elsewhere.

Obelisks that once stood in Rome and are now located elsewhere

Name	Commissioner	Location	Height	Description	Image
Urbino	Wahibre (Apries) (6th century BC)	Via Aurelio Saffi, Urbino 43°43′27.4″N 12°38′12.9″E	~3 m	Originally erected at Sais by Pharaoh Wahibre (Apries). Transported to Rome in the late 1st century AD and erected at the Iseum Campense (Temple of Isis). The present obelisk is made up of fragments of two identical obelisks and some of a third. Moved to Urbino in 1737 to celebrate Pope Clement XI. Stands on a small street beside the Palazzo Ducale.
Boboli (Mediceo)	Ramesses II (13th century BC)	Boboli Gardens, Florence 43°45′45.7″N 11°14′53.4″E	~6 m	Originally erected in Heliopolis by Ramesses II. Moved to Rome by Domitian in the 1st century AD and placed in the Iseum Campense. Purchased by Cardinal Ferdinando I de' Medici in the 16th century and placed in the gardens of the Villa Medici. Moved to Florence in 1788 by Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Lorraine and erected in the Boboli Gardens in 1790. Surmounted by a gilded orb.
Munich	Titus Sextius Africanus (c. 98–117 AD)	State Museum of Egyptian Art, Munich 48°08′49.9″N 11°33′56.9″E	Unknown	Bears an inscription with the name of the Roman official Titus Sextius Africanus, presumably responsible for its creation. Its original location in Rome is uncertain, but it is believed strongly to have once stood at the Iseum Campnese. Later part of Cardinal Albani's collection, stolen by Napoleon and taken to Paris. Acquired by the Bavarian Crown Prince (later King Ludwig I) in 1815.
Axum (Rome Stele)	Unknown (Kingdom of Aksum, c. 4th century AD)	Axum, Ethiopia 14°07′56.8″N 38°43′15.1″E	30+ m 24 m (with base)	A 1,700-year-old, 24-metre (78-foot) tall phonolite stele from the ancient Kingdom of Aksum in modern-day Ethiopia. It collapsed and broke in antiquity. Found by Italian soldiers in 1935 and transported to Rome during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1937. Reassembled and erected in Piazza di Porta Capena near the Circus Maximus. It was struck by lightning in May 2002; after restoration, it was repatriated to Ethiopia in 2005 and re-erected at its original site in 2008.

Modern obelisks

Modern Rome has continued with the theme of erecting obelisks. The following are some of the many obelisks which stand in the modern city:

Modern obelisks in Rome

Name	Commissioner	Location	Height	Description	Image
Villa Medici obelisk	Balthasar Klossowski (a.k.a.Balthus) (1972)	Gardens of Villa Medici, Pincian Hill 41°54′30.5″N 12°28′57.3″E	6.1 m	A 20th‑century cast, composed of marble and epoxy resin, of the ancient Egyptian obelisk that originally stood in the Villa Medici gardens. The original, erected some time before 1589, was moved to the Boboli Gardens in Florence in 1788. The present obelisk, incorporated into the Fountain of the Dolphins, was produced in 1972, by sculptor Michel Bourbon (d. 2014). There is some confusion as to if a replacement obelisk stood in the gardens between 1788 and 1972.
Villa Torlonia obelisks	Alessandro Torlonia (1842)	Villa Torlonia, Via Nomentana 41°54′55.7″N 12°30′40.4″E	10.227 m	Two obelisks in pink Baveno granite, erected in 1842 by Prince Alessandro Torlonia in memory of his parents, Giovanni and Anna Maria Torlonia.
Foro Italico obelisk	Benito Mussolini (1932)	Piazza Lauro De Bosis, Foro Italico 41°55′51.2″N 12°27′21.0″E	17.5 m	A 1932 obelisk in Carrara marble, originally dedicated to Benito Mussolini and inscribed with "MUSSOLINI DVX". It stands at the entrance to the Foro Italico sports complex. Designed by Costantino Costantini.
Marconi	Ministry of Popular Culture (1939)	Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, EUR district 41°50′01″N 12°28′15″E	45 m	Designed by Arturo Dazzi, this obelisk is clad in Carrara marble over reinforced concrete. Commissioned in 1939, interrupted by war, and finally inaugurated on 12 December 1959. Its 92 marble panels depict scenes from Marconi's career. It is dedicated to the physicist and inventor Guglielmo Marconi.
Obelisco Novecento	City of Rome (commissioned 1998, installed 2003–2004)	Piazzale Pier Luigi Nervi, EUR district 41°49′34.0″N 12°27′58.2″E	21 m	A bronze, conical sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro, commissioned by the City of Rome and installed in 2003–2004. Unlike traditional obelisks, it is non‑pyramidal and intended to represent the complexities and contradictions of the 20th century ("Novecento").
Via della Conciliazione lamp posts	Benito Mussolini (project initiated 1936–1937, completed 1950)	Via della Conciliazione, Rome 41°54′08.6″N 12°27′41.0″E	Unknown	Two rows of obelisk-shaped stone lamp posts lining the Via della Conciliazione, the grand avenue connecting the centre of Rome to St. Peter's Basilica. The avenue was opened in 1937 and completed in 1950 with the installation of 28 obelisks that serve as lamp posts. Designed by architects Marcello Piacentini and Attilio Spaccarelli, the double line of obelisks topped with lanterns narrows the original width of the avenue and creates a scenographic effect that guides the visitor's gaze towards the facade of St. Peter's.

Former locations of some obelisks

• ^ Lateranense at Karnak, Egypt: 25°43′7.46″N 32°39′26.64″E
• ^ Lateranense at Circus Maximus in Rome: 41°53′6.31″N 12°29′14.45″E
• ^ Vaticano at Forum Iulium in Alexandria, Egypt: 31°11′52.8″N 29°55′9.12″E
• ^ Vaticano at Vatican Circus in Rome: 41°54′5.82″N 12°27′14.94″E
• ^ Flaminio at Heliopolis, Egypt: 30°07′46.3″N 31°17′20″E
• ^ Flaminio at Circus Maximus in Rome: 41°53′12.73″N 12°29′3.4″E
• ^ Solare at Heliopolis, Egypt: 30°07′46.3″N 31°17′20″E
• ^ Solare at Campus Martius in Rome: 41.902842°N 12.477733°E / 41.902842; 12.477733 (Solare_Campus_Martius)

See also

• List of Egyptian obelisks
• List of modern obelisks
• List of tourist attractions in Rome

Monoliths

• Cleopatra's Needle
• List of Roman monoliths
• List of largest monoliths in the world

Roman triumphal monuments

• List of Roman triumphal arches
• List of Roman victory columns

Further reading

• D'Onofrio, Cesare (1967), Gli obelischi di Roma
• Sorek, Susan (2010). The Emperor's Needles: Obelisks in Rome. Liverpool University Press. ISBN 978-1-904675-51-8.
• Wirsching, Armin (2000), "How the Obelisks Reached Rome: Evidence of Roman Double-Ships", The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 29 (2): 273–283, doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2000.tb01456.x, S2CID 162710923
• Wirsching, Armin (2003), "Supplementary Remarks on the Roman Obelisk-Ships", The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 32 (1): 121–123, doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2003.tb01438.x, S2CID 233246649
• Wirsching, Armin (2013), Obelisken transportieren und aufrichten in Aegypten und in Rom (3rd ed.), BoD – Books on Demand, ISBN 978-3-8334-8513-8

External links

• A Google map showing the location of all the obelisks in Rome

• Obelisks in Rome (Andrea Pollett)
• Obelisks of Rome (series of articles in Platner's Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome)
• Obelischi di Roma
• Obelisk of Psametik II and Augustus, erected by Pope Pius VI in Piazza Montecitorio
• Romeartlover.it: Obelisks of Rome