It is an
ancient Roman obelisk made in imitation of the Egyptian ones, dating back to
the imperial period, maybe to the time of Aurelian (270/275), with
hieroglyphics, which the Romans imitated from those of the Flaminium
Obelisk
It comes
from the Horti
Sallustiani (Gardens of Sallust) where perhaps used to adorn the
central section of a private circus (hippodrome), the Porticus Miliarensis
The
knowledge of the Egyptian language was obviously rough at the time, as some
hieroglyphs are engraved upside down
It was
erected here in 1789 by Giovanni Antinori
(1734/92) for Pius VI Braschi (1775/99)
The
original base of the obelisk is in the garden of the Capitoline Hill to the
left of the Senatorial Palace where it was arbitrarily transformed into an “Altar
of the dead fascist” during the fascist period
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