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A Taste of Ancient Egypt

28/5/2019

 
Walking Tours of Florence
Egyptian Obelisk, Giardino di Boboli, Florence
Egyptian Obelisk

There is a grand total of thirteen Egyptian obelisks in Rome. There used to be fourteen until one was transferred  to Florence, where it now stands in the Giardino di Boboli.

The obelisk, which is 4.87 m high and made of granite, was first erected in Heliopolis during the reign of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BCE). During the reign of the emperor Domitian (r. 81-96) it was taken to Rome where it was set up at the Iseum (Temple of Isis).

In the second half of the 16th century it was bought by Cardinal Ferdinando de' Medici and placed in the gardens of the Villa Medici. In 1788 the Obelisco Mediceo, as it was then known, was moved to Florence, on the orders of Peter Leopold of Lorraine, grand duke of Tuscany.

In 1790 the obelisk, which stands on four bronze turtles and is surmounted by a golden orb, was erected in the amphitheatre of the Boboli garden.  

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    Blogging about Florence:
    its art, history and culture.


    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England.

    Since 200I I have been living in Italy, where I run
    ​ private tours of Florence, Rome &
    Venice.


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  • Private Tours
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  • Rome
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  • Year in Art