Dikilitas, The Obelisk of Theodosius erected 390 AD Istanbul Turkey. The emperor and his court (south face) 100737_Turkey
The Obelisk of Theodosius is the Ancient Egyptian obelisk of Pharaoh Tutmoses III re-erected in the Hippodrome of Constantinople (known today as At Meydanı or Sultanahmet Meydanı, in Istanbul, Turkey) by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in the 4th century AD. The obelisk was first set up by Tutmoses III to the south of the seventh pylon of the great temple of Karnak. The Roman emperor Constantius II had it and another obelisk transported along the river Nile to Alexandria to commemorate his ventennalia or 20 years on the throne in 357. The obelisk that would become the obelisk of Theodosius remained in Alexandria until 390, when Theodosius I had it transported to Constantinople and put up on the spina of the Hippodrome there. The Obelisk of Theodosius is of red granite from Aswan and was originally 30m tall, like the Lateran obelisk. The lower part was damaged in antiquity, probably during its transport or re-erection, and so the obelisk is today only high, or if the base is included. Between the four corners of the obelisk and the pedestal are four bronze cubes, used in its transportation and re-erection. Each of its four faces has a single central column of inscription, celebrating Tutmoses III's victory on the banks of the river Euphrates in 1450 The marble pedestal had bas-reliefs dating to the time of the obelisk's re-erection in Constantinople. On one face Theodosius I is shown offering the crown of victory to the winner in the chariot races, framed between arches and Corinthian columns, with happy spectators, musicians and dancers assisting in the ceremony. In the bottom right of this scene is the water organ of Ctesibius and on the left another instrument. There are traces of major damage to the pedestal and energetic restoration of it. Missing pieces have been replaced, at the pedestal's bottom corners, by cubes of porphyry resting on the bronze cubes already mentioned - the bronze and porphyry cubes are of identical form and dimensions.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Istanbul Turkey
Photo credit: © DV TRAVEL / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: atmeydanı, bas-reliefs, dikilitas, emperor, istanbul, meydani, obelisk, sokak, sultanahmet, turkey, İstanbul
