Our Surroundings are Storytellers: Obelisks

As we walk by the busy streets, we are constantly being narrated stories from the past. Stories that we might not be able to understand. Even trees might be whispering tales from the past that they witnessed. However, in this article, I will tell you about one type of storyteller in particular: monuments. For this article I cannot be outrageously long. Thus, I chose one monument in specific: the Obelisks.

Obelisks are tapered monolithic pillars that were mainly built in ancient Egypt. Originally, they were built for religious purposes, being placed in parallel at the entrances of ancient Egyptian temples. However, they were to acquire a very different meaning. A meaning that they still possess nowadays. It is very strong because it has the power to let us transform into time travelers, but yet meaning that most people might not be aware of.

The transportation of Obelisks

Originally from Egypt, we can now find Obelisks in many European capitals. Thus, it means they were transported. We can divide their transportations into two phases, which correspond to two phases of imperialism. Firstly, they were moved from Egypt to the cities of the Roman Empire by Roman Emperors. In this case, the massive stone monuments that weigh tons are not easy whatsoever to move. We can even say that moving these objects represents a true feat. So, why doing so?

It was after the Battle of Actium and after the defeat of Mark Anthony that Caesar Augustus ordered the dislocation of two Obelisks from Egypt to Rome. The reason behind his action was the dislocation of the imperial power from the East to the West, to the Roman Empire. The movement of the Obelisks symbolized the movement of imperial power. 

Later in time, the Obelisks were moved again. This time from the cities of the ancient Roman Empire to the capitals of the, at the time, new imperial powers. We can now find obelisks in cities such as Lisbon, Paris, Madrid, etc. This aimed to represent a new transfer of power: from the ancient Roman Empire to the new imperial powers, to the “new Romes”.

Conclusions

I believe we can conclude that these monuments have a very strong and powerful nationalist character. They are indeed symbols of imperialism. Many people walk by them unaware of how they represent the suffering that the subjugated peoples were put through.
We should all make an effort to be more aware of the immense library that the world is.

Source:

• Tarrío, Ana María S., «Elusa Europa: Do património cultural europeu», Actas do Colóquio ‘Cultura Clássica: que fazer com este património? Colóquio à memória de Victor Jabouille, 8-10 Maio de 2003, Lisboa, 2004, pp. 297-305.
  Available at: https://www.academia.edu/39591686/Elusa_Europa_Do_património_cultural_europeu