Obelisk of Montecitorio
red granite obelisk
The Obelisk of Montecitorio (Italian: Obelisco di Montecitorio), also known as Solare, is an ancient Egyptian, red granite obelisk of Psamtik II (595–589 BC) from Heliopolis. Brought to Rome with the Flaminio Obelisk in 10 BC by the Roman Emperor Augustus to be used as the gnomon of the Solarium Augusti, it is now in the Piazza Montecitorio. It is 21.79 metres (71 ft) high, and 33.97 metres (111 ft) including the base and the globe.
History
First construction
The stone was quarried at Aswan and then transported to, and erected at, the sanctuary of Ra in Heliopolis during the reign of Psamtik II (595–589 BC).
The hieroglyphic inscription on the sides reads
The Golden Horus, beautifying the Two Lands, beloved of Atum, lord of Heliopolis;
the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Neferibre, beloved of Re-Harakhti;
the son of his own body, who seizes the White Crown and who unites the Double Crown,
Psammetikos, beloved of the Souls of Heliopolis.
and the inscription on the Pyramidion reads
King of Upper and Lower Egypt, <good heart of Re> son of Re <Psamchek II>
life for ever and ever
give him all life and all health for ever Re Horachty great god lord of the sky
I gave thee all life and dominion, all health, and all joy for ever
Second construction
In 10 BCE, Emperor Augustus ordered this and the Flaminio Obelisk to be brought to Rome. It was erected as the gnomon of the Solarium Augusti, his giant sundial (or horologium) in the Campus Martius. The meridian, worked out by the mathematician Facondius Novus, was placed in the center of a surface measuring 160 by 75 metres (525 by 246 ft), constructed from slabs of travertine, on which a quadrant was marked out with bronze letters, with indications of the hours, months, seasons and signs of the zodiac. Besides its function as a solar clock, the obelisk was oriented in such manner so as to cast its shadow on the nearby Ara Pacis on 23 September, Augustus's birthday, which coincided with the autumnal equinox. The reason for this orientation of the sunlight alludes to the peace that Augustus had always strived for by directing the light to the Ara Pacis, Pax the Roman goddess of peace is being highlighted.
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