A obelisk returns: Axum

The Obelisk of Axum is a 1700-year-old, 24-meters (78-foot) tall granite obelisk, weighing 160 tonnes. It is decorated with two false doors at the base, and decorations resembling windows on all sides. The obelisk ends in a semicircular top part, which used to be enclosed by metal frames.

This by the way is not the returning obelisk but another one of similar construction.

The obelisk was carved and erected in the town of Axum (in modern-day Ethiopia) during the 4th century by subjects of the Kingdom of Aksum, an ancient Ethiopian civilization. It was looted from Axum by the Italian army in 1937, after the Italian conquest of Ethiopia, and taken to Rome to stand in front of the Ministry for Italian Africa (later the headquarters of the United Nations's Food and Agriculture Organization). In a 1947 UN agreement, Italy agreed to return the obelisk, but little action was taken to implement the agreement for 50 years.

It was returned this week and is now back in Ethiopia









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[edit on 2-8-2008 by Jbird]

reply to post by Hanslune


It looks like it was a lot of work moving it. No wonder the Italian government took there time.

There was a right wing element that considered it a legitmate war trophy or that if Ethiopia wanted it back they should pay. The infrastructure of Ethiopia - or the lack of it, caused some delays too.

On the good side, at least we wont get any "OMG ITS TOO HEAVY IT CANT BE MOVED BY MODERN TECHNOLOGY OMGOMGOMG!!!" replies

But the Italians cheated they cut it into three parts!

Yep I still see that Sitchin created meme still come up. The last time I looked on Sitchin's website that was still one his claims, that modern technology could not move heavy loads. However this was a light weight at only 150 tons.

reply to post by Hanslune


Sitchin needs to watch Modern Marvels on The History Channel. They did a show on huge moving machines.

Sitchin doesn't offer retractions or admit to being wrong!

I went back and checked

Yeppers that claim is still there

Sitchin is talking about Balbek

The most important section of that ancient Landing Place was its northwestern corner, where the remains of the Jupiter temple are located. Its ruins stand atop a platform that rose even higher by rows of perfectly shaped stone blocks weighing some 600 tons each. (Fig. 3); this is a weight that no existing modern equipment can lift. (By comparison, the stone blocks of the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt, weigh about 25 tons each).

That's some serious wrongness!

The thing that gets me is the monument looks like a skyscraper.
Anyway, I'm glad some thing are being returned to where they were looted from, but hopefully the musuems will stay open.

Sitchen is in it for the money. You can never trust someone like that. Ever.

This obelisk is interesting. Why was it built originally?

I find it interesting that it has 11 segments (if you see the ara up to the top of the "door" as the first).

that is an interesting image.

The Axum stelae seem to have been made before the arrival of Christianity to Ethiopia. Their purpose was probably religious and ceremonial marking the tombs of the rulers of Aksum, but the details are not known for certain.

Some have altars at the base with grooves cut into them to carry away blood from sacrifices.