Unfinished obelisk
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The unfinished obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk, located in the northern region of the ancient quarries in Aswan (Assuan), Egypt. It is nearly one third (Thutmos obelisk in Lateran, Rome 105 ft) larger than any Egyptian obelisk ever erected. If finished it would measure around 42 m and would have weighted nearly 1,200 tons wehn finished.[1] Scientists speculate that it was intended to complement the so-called Lateran Obelisk which was originally at Karnak and is now outside the Lateran Palace in Rome.
The obelisk's creators began to carve it directly out of bedrock, but cracks appeared in the granite and the project was abandoned. Originally it was thought that the stone had an undetected flaw but it is also possible that the quarring process allowed the cracking to develope by releasing the stress. The bottom side of the obelisk is still attached to the bedrock. The unfinished obelisk offers unusual insights into ancient Egyptian stone-working techniques, with marks from workmen's tools still clearly visible as well as ocher-colored lines marking where they were working. [2]
Besides the unfinished obelisk, an unfinished partly worked obelisk base was discovered in 2005 at the quarries of Aswan.[3] Also discovered were some rock carvings and remains that may correspond to the site where most of the famous obelisks were worked. All these quarries in Aswan and the unfinished objects are an open air museum and are officially protected by the Egyptian government as an archeological site.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Bard, Kathryn (1999). Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, 587. ISBN 978-0415185899.
- ^ Bard, Kathryn (1999). Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, 587. ISBN 978-0415185899.
- ^ QuarryScapes
[edit] External links
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