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Obelisk

A tall, tapering, four-sided monolithic monument terminating in a pyramidal top.

Short Definition

A tall, tapering, four-sided monolithic monument terminating in a pyramidal top.

Difficulty

Intermediate

A tall, tapering, four-sided monolithic monument terminating in a pyramidal top. Originating in ancient Egypt, obelisks were later transported, imitated, and incorporated into Roman and European monuments, where their vertical mass often serves as a powerful urban or commemorative axis.

References

  • Pliny the Elder, Natural History (where applicable).
  • Pierre-Info Glossaire (for French stone terminology, where applicable).