The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-11-03
! Our 0lio.
OBEL1sKs FROM EGYPT.


10 oBELIsKs FROM EGYPT.
'ttc heprospect of having geritablc Egyp-
sed obelisk brought to New York in a
her It time has already caused lively dis
Tou son as to its proper location and archi-
'ou igral treatment. It becomes matter
tie, interest to know how the ancient makers
IN. mOnoliths treated these products Of their
rat mcnse labors. The Saturday Rerieto,
if ieh, in common with all England, is
ed ily expecting the arrival Of similar
'reaa furnishes something pertinent to
g. e subject. To the ancient Egyptians,
pm the age of the Pyramid builders to
ie at Of the Roman emperOrs, the size Of
ed e materials of which building was to
id , made was u great consideration. I'm
IS iestionably they secured stability. The
re ifieulty of moving Cleopatra's Needle
% ives US reason why so many obelisks
|. I'D temples are still standing. There are
stones at Karuao forty feet long. On the
roof Of the temple at Edfou there are
stones twenty feet by twelve, and more
Than three feet thick Such roof may
fail of itself but there is probably no en-
gineer in Egypt who could pull it down
without gunpowdcr or steam. The won
DER Of the obelisk Is that it consists Of
singlc stone 1t ha3little other claim on
pur regard, i we except its antiquity.
1t may b worth while to inquire how
the Egyptials placed their obelisks. There
Is, Fortunately, no doubt at all on this head.
Cleopatras Needle, which is now on its
way to England, was removed in the reign
of Augustus, together with its companion,
which is still standing, from HeliOpolis,
about one hundred and twenty miles in
land, to he waters edge at Alexandra.
Previously, no doubt, the pair stood, like
other obiIisks, in temple A single ex.
ample still remains at HeliopOlis, and still
stands az it stood when it was placed in
front ofhis temple by the King 0sirtasen,
who livtd, according to NJ. Marietta and
others, about four thousand nine hundred
years ago. 1t is the oldest in Egypt, and
is about sixty.eight feet high, or two feet
higher tian the Needle, and three feet
lower than the obelisk still erect at Alex
andria. There was probably fourth
near che same spot of similar dimensions.
The place itself was the courtyard of the
temple surrounded by lofty wall and
close to buildings of great size. -Four
obelisks were also placed within the tenn
pie at Karnac, and two are still standing,
Here, again we find them, not ina wide,
open space, nor among buildings which
they oyertop, but in narrow courts. The
taller Of the two is the tallest now remain
ing perfect. 1t measures ninety-two feet
from the ground. and its companion is not
much less, being about seventy five. At
Luxor, few miles of, another pair re-
maiaed till lately; but one of them now
gracas the Place dc la Concorde. These
two we're in wider space than the four at
KarHac, but they were close to the face of
the great propylons, by which it might
have been expected that they would be
dwarfed. But the ancient
builders knew better. The wall behind
them is composed of enormous blocks Of
sandstone. Yet this single piece Of gran
tie reaches nearly to the top of the wall.
Such is the reflection suggested by their
situation. At Kanac you see the point
Of the tall pillar appearing above the tops
Of the palms, and of the gigantic buildings
close to il; but you see only the point until
you are near enough to recognize that it
is iaonolith. The whole world cannot
show such another block, yet It is small
Thing, considered merely as building.
70 see il Alright you must, said its design
srs, see Il near; or, If any Of It is to be
revealed to the world at large, it must be
the extremity only, and that surrounded
BY great columns and lofty gates, so that
scale is ready 10 assist your eye in esti-
mating its size when at length you enter
Tho narrow precincts Of the court from
whose floor il shoots up into the blue sky
lbove your head This evidently was the
dea of the obolisk.makers, and they were
Undoubtedly right An obelisk built up
'f little bits Of stone is not really an ODE
|ski aud at Paris the great open place, the
lsuntains, the bridge, the distant portico,
n 80 not 70 enhance the obelisk, but to
Destroy il.
There arc very few references alaong
u the Inscriptions deciphered ol{ The |
sreat Egyptian monuments to the l8agni-
,tdr t-ssdersaken- But Dc oil
hem is on the base Of the larger obelisk
4 Karnac. Il tells us that tho Queen
.munoohet, or Hatason, the daughter and
sccessOr Of Thomas /, king Of the
5ishteenth dynasty, erected it as memo
81 to her father, and itrecorda the length
tine consumed in bringing il from the
iaarries. When We consider that il had
be brought from The quarry at Syona,
srhaps two miles to tho rivers edge, then
se hundred and thirty-6ve miles, prOba.
Il By boat, q Karnac, and then from the
aors about two hundred yards shroueh