Obelisk ship
Vessels built to transport monolithic obelisks from quarry to destination.
Obelisk ships were specialized vessels used to transport monolithic stone obelisks from quarries to their intended locations. Their use spanned from the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire, enabling the movement of massive stone monuments across the Nile and the Mediterranean.
Quick Facts
- Earliest known use
- Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt
- Notable egyptian ship dimensions
- length ~63 m / 207 ft, width ~21 m / 68 ft 11 in
- First roman transport
- Flaminian obelisk
- 263 tons
- from Heliopolis in 10 BCE
- Largest roman transport
- Lateran obelisk
- 500 tons
- from Karnak
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Until the second half of the 19th century, two obelisks stood at the Caesareum of Alexandria, known as Cleopatra's Needles.
- The fallen obelisk was taken to London by the cylinder ship Cleopatra in 1877.
Ancient Egypt
The earliest obelisk ships were built in Egypt to move obelisks via the Nile. A relief from Hatshepsut's mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari shows her barge carrying two obelisks to Karnak. In the 19th dynasty, Seti I commissioned large barges for his obelisks, as noted on a rock stela at Aswan.
Ancient Rome
During the Roman Empire, ships were built to transport obelisks across the Mediterranean to Rome and Constantinople. Pliny the Elder and Ammianus Marcellinus described how obelisks were brought to Rome. One of the two ships carrying the Vatican obelisk was sunk by Claudius to build Portus harbor; the other burned under Caligula at Puteoli harbor. For one obelisk, three Roman ships were used: two rectangular aft ships, each 37 meters long and 5 meters wide, held together by longitudinal beams with the obelisk tied underwater, and a larger trireme in front to steer and provide rowing and sail power.
More in Ancient Egyptian Obelisks
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced