List of obelisks in Rome
Wikimedia list article
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 the 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 or 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
At least eight obelisks created in antiquity by the Egyptians were taken from Egypt after the Roman conquest and brought to Rome.
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