The Obelisk of Antinous!!

This blog is about the Obelisk of Antinous, its origins, having a closer look to some of its parts.... Basically the summaries and studies I have made from things I have learned and books I have read... I hope it is interesting enough!!! ;D 💕

-----THE OBELISK OF ANTINOUS: ITS ORIGINS AND BACKSTORY...-----

After Antinous was deified and Antinoöpolis was founded, a cult started after him, where people would worship him, but it seems to be two versions of the same cult... the Egyptian one and the Greek one, since Antinous' cult was both Egyptian and Greek (because of Antinoöpolis, it was located in Egypt). In the Egyptian version, Antinous was identified Osiris and considered a God, although one of a low rank within the Egyptian Pantheon.

An Obelisk (now situated in Rome) was made for this cult, and it narrates this Egyptian devotion. Its inscriptions, made in Egypt without any Latin or Greek sources, exalts the figure of the emperor Hadrian as a benefactor of Egypt, highlighting his good intentions over the prosperity of the country. The complexity of the registrations and texts from certain events in Antinoöpolis allow the Obelisk to be dated between 136 and 138 AD (it was made in 136 between 136 and 138 AD). It is believed that the Obelisk was tranferred to Rome after Hadrian's death, and that originally was placed in Egypt. This is believed because of the Egyptian inscriptions, since they seem to be made with a rich and complex point of view of the religion, which was not truly understood by romans.

For many years it was thought that the Obelisk was on Antinous' tomb, but recent studies and investigations show its clearly Egyptians origins. It has also been discovered archaeological evidence in Antinoöpolis, such as blocks bearing the names of Antinous, Hadrian and Sabina, and papyrus fragments that corroborate the existence of an Egyptian temple of Antinous, where they are described in the Obelisk, too.

(Obelisk Of Antinous in the Pincio Hill, Rome)

Between the centuries XVII and XIX, the obelisk was transferred and modified...

In 1632, Cardinal Francesco Barberini acquire it (bought it). In 1654, the jesuit Athanasius Kircher copied the hyerogliphycs inscriptions, althought he didn't understood what they meant exactly, so he was unaware that it was about a pagan cult, incompatible with Christianity... Its reproduction showed the obelisk broken into three pieces in the background, accompained with christian symbolism, angels and the name of the emperor Ferdinando III Caesare, in an attempt to give it a more respectable origin. 

(Reproduction of the Obelisk by Athanasius Kircher)

In 1773, the princess Cornelia Barberini donated the obelisk to Pope Clement XIV. Finally, in 1822, The Pope Pius VII ordered it to be placed in the Pincio Hill in Rome, where it's still there... Through the years it has been added decorative elements, restored fragments and a more elevated base.

Paradoxically, the Obelisk, dedicated to a cult that the Christian Church fought against, was preserved and installed in the Vatican city, all because of a bad interpretation of its meaning...

-----THE FOUR SIDES OF THE OBELISK OF ANTINOUS...-----

The Obelisk of Antinous has hyeroglyphics inscriptions on its four sides, each one with two columns of text. The sides of the Obelisk are numbered with roman numbers...(I, II, III, IV)..., but they don't need to be read in any specific order to understand it, since each text is not related with the other one... 

Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (the one from earlier) was the first person to relate the sides of the Obelisk with the cardinal points, a convention that has been maintained since it was erected in its current location (Pincio Hill) in 1822... However, there are different opinions between other scholars and studies on how it should be placed and the relation between the sides with the cardinal points... This happens because each one tried to give them an order based on different things, for example, some tried to orient it geographically, others, did it by the sacred images, and others by reconstructions...

-----CLOSER LOOK TO EACH SIDE-----

The Obelisk gives us a lot of information about who was Antinous, his city, Antinoöpolis, the temple of Antinous and his new cult...

1. EAST SIDE...                                                                                                                           

On this side we can see the scene of Pharaoh Hadrian offering something, (currently lost, we can't see what it is), with his right hand, standing in front of a deity... This deity is falcon-headed, wearing a headdress with a sun disk and holding a scepter in his right hand, while holding an Ankh (symbol of life) in his left hand. This God is Ra-Hor-Akhty, a combination of Ra (God of Sun) and Horus (God of the Sky)... This fusion represents the God of The Rising Sun, that is, the daily rebirth of the sun, and a representation of life...

(Pharaoh Hadrian and Ra-Hor-Akhty)

In the text below this relief, Antinous, very happy in his aphotheosis (process of when a human is being turned into a deity), asks Ra-Hor-Akhty to reward Hadrian and Sabina and give them a long and prosperous reign... Hadrian is referred to as ''Ruler of every country'' and Sabina as ''Queen of both countries''

Hadrian ^

Sabina ^

(Cartouches of Hadrian and Sabina)

2. SOUTH SIDE...                                                                                                                        

On this side we can see the scene of Antinous with an unknown god, since it is erased, we can't surely know which one was... Antinous is adorned with the Shuti Crown made with two tall feathers and a sun disk on Ram's horns... He is wearing a round cap wrapping his hair, a fake beard, an Usekh collar and a long Kilt...

(Antinous facing the unknown god)

The text below this relief lets us know more about Antinoöpolis and the temple of Antinous in Antinoöpolis! This text talks about how Antinous was seen as a god in all Egypt, and how temples were built in his honor. Antinoöpolis was founded in his honour, where Egyptian and Greek people would live, with Egyptian priests, who were given fertile lands... The temple of Antinous was made with white stones and adorned in Egyptian and Greek style, showing how his cult united both cultures...

(Text where Antinoöpolis is described)

3. WEST SIDE...                                                                                                                          

On this side we can see Antinous approaching the Egyptian god Thoth, represented with an Ibis head, crowned with a Sun Disk, holding a sceptre in his left hand and an Ankh in his right hand. 

(Antinous approaching Thoth) 

The text below this relief describes Antinous as Osirantinoos (Osiris and Antinous) as a young man of great beauty and strength whose death was determined by the gods, it's also said that he had the same funeral process as Osiris, which could relate Antinous even more to him... 

(Cartouche of Antinous)

(2 Fun facts:

1. Hadrian and Sabina's cartouches are put in a box, meanwhile Antinous' one isn't... This was because the names of pharaohs were always put inside boxes, and the name of Gods weren't...

2. Antinous is written in hieroglyphs with a mysterious eye in his name that doesn't mean at all a letter. It's silent, but it means good-looking and beautiful... The eye position in his name changes when Andiinnus is written again...)

4. NORTH SIDE...                                                                                                                       

On this side, we can see Antinous dressed in traditional Egyptian clothes, this could mean the acceptance of Antinous in the Egyptian religion... He faces the god Amun, one of the most important gods in the Egyptian Pantheon, god of Air and Sun... 

(Antinous facing Amun)

The text below this relief describes the Megala Antinoeia (The Sacred Games Of Antinous...) in Antinoöpolis... And it's said how in this games strong young men, rowers and other groups of the country participated in this games... (If you want to know more about these games I have a description of them in my blog about Antinous!!!)

(Text where the Megala Antinoeia is described)

Obviously, there is MUCH MORE we can know about this wonderful and beautiful Obelisk Of Antinous... I tried summaring it the most of things, so it could be an easy reading and to make more people interested in this!!! :3333

THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading this WHOLE text about The Obelisk of Antinous!!! 

And sorry if there is some misspelling... T_T''

May Antinous bless you <333

Ave Antinous!!! <D 💕💕💕