Lateran Obelisk in the context of "Obelisk"

⭐ In the context of obelisks, the Ancient Greek term 'obeliskos' is most accurately understood as a derivative of a word meaning…

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⭐ Core Definition: Lateran Obelisk

The Lateran Obelisk (Italian: Obelisco Lateranense; Latin: Obeliscus Constantii) is the largest standing ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world, and it is also the tallest obelisk in Italy. It originally weighed 413 tonnes (455 short tons), but after collapsing and being re-erected 4 metres (13 ft) shorter, now weighs around 300 tonnes (330 short tons). It is located in Rome, in the square across from the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran and the San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital.

The obelisk was made around 1400 BC in Karnak, Egypt, during the reigns of Pharaohs Thutmose III and Thutmose IV. Roman Emperor Constantine I had it moved to Alexandria in the early 4th century AD, then Constantius II in AD 357 had it shipped to Rome and erected at the Circus Maximus. The obelisk collapsed and broke into pieces sometime after the Circus's abandonment in the 5th century and became buried. It was excavated and restored by Domenico Fontana in the late 1580s, and by the order of Pope Sixtus V was topped with a Christian cross and installed in its present location near the Lateran Palace.

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👉 Lateran Obelisk in the context of Obelisk

An obelisk (/ˈɒbəlɪsk/; from Ancient Greek ὀβελίσκος (obelískos), diminutive of ὀβελός (obelós) ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called tekhenu, the Greeks used the Greek term obeliskos to describe them, and this word passed into Latin and ultimately English. Though William Thomas used the term correctly in his Historie of Italie of 1549, by the late sixteenth century (after reduced contact with Italy following the excommunication of Queen Elizabeth), Shakespeare failed to distinguish between pyramids and obelisks in his plays and sonnets. Ancient obelisks are monolithic and consist of a single stone; most modern obelisks are made of several stones.

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Lateran Obelisk in the context of Lateran

Lateran and Laterano are names for an area of Rome, and the shared names of several buildings in Rome. The properties were once owned by the Lateranus family of the Roman Empire. The Laterani lost their properties to Emperor Constantine who allegedly gave them to the Bishop of Rome though this traditional report has been most likely based on the document Donation of Constantine which has been proven to be a forgery.

The most famous Lateran buildings are the Lateran Palace, once called the Palace of the Popes, and the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral of Rome, which while in Rome, and not in the Vatican, are properties of the Holy See, and have extraterritorial privileges as a result of the 1929 Lateran Treaty with Italy. As the official ecclesiastical seat of the pope, Saint John Lateran contains the papal cathedra. The Lateran is Christendom's earliest basilica.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Obelisk ← Lateran
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Roman emperor → Constantine the Great → Italian language → Latin language → Obelisk → Italy → Rome → Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran → San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital → Karnak → Thutmose III → Thutmose IV → Constantine I → Alexandria → Circus Maximus → Domenico Fontana → Pope Sixtus V → Christian cross → Lateran Palace →