Cleopatra's Needle: The London Obelisk

Cleopatra’s Needle by Reverend James King was published towards the end of the 19th century and reprinted by Forgotten Books in 2012. It is A History of the London Obelisk – also known as Cleopatra’s Needle – With an Exposition of the Hieroglyphics.

The modern reprint from 2012 is in a good condition - except for two illustrations, which are just a blur: Ramesses II, at Memphis (page 29) and Cleopatra’s Needle, at Alexandria (page 38). Otherwise, text and illustrations are as they should be.

James King (1839-1913) was a priest whose book about the London obelisk was published by the Religious Tract Society. Sometimes his Christian background creeps into the text: he likes to mention Moses, the Bible, and the Christian faith, although these elements are not relevant for his topic (pp. 6, 7, 15, 33, 37, 45-46, 50-51, 71, 100, 109, 120, 127). Fortunately, they do not disturb the main story. The best way to deal with them is to ignore them.

In a recent study about obelisks, the authors note that “King’s interest in the monument went beyond mere evocation of Bible stories. A trip to the Holy Land had spurred his interest in ancient Egypt… Clip out the few scriptural citations near the beginning and end of the book and there is almost no evidence of the author’s Christian motivation.”

[B. Curran, A. Grafton, P. Long & B. Weiss, Obelisk: A History (2009) chapter 11, page 265.]

Here is the table of contents (with a few additional comments):

* Chapter I - Ancient Egypt

* Chapters II and III - The Egyptian obelisk

* Chapter IV - The London Obelisk

The following chapters are devoted to the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the obelisk, which were made ca. 1450 BC on the order of Thuthmes (or Thutmose) III and ca. 1250 BC on the order of Rameses (or Ramesses) II. King provides a complete English translation of the hieroglyphs. This is why his book is still interesting and valuable more than a hundred years after its first publication:

* Chapter V - How the hieroglyphic language was recovered

* Chapter VI – How to read the hieroglyphic language

* Chapter VII – Thotmes III

* Chapters VIII-XI - The inscriptions made by Thothmes

* Chapter XII – Rameses II

* Chapter XIII - The inscriptions made by Rameses II

* Chapter XIV – The discovery of the royal mummies at Deir el-Bahari in 1881

The information provided in chapter XIV is interesting, but not directly relevant for our understanding of the inscriptions on the obelisk.

There is no bibliography and no index.

Some names and technical terms used in the book are now considered obsolete. Here are three examples:

(1) A town in the south of Egypt is called “Syene” (page 17). Today this place is known as Aswan. On page 36 Kings says “Syene or Assouan.” The latter looks like a French version of Aswan.

(2) An Egyptian queen is called “Hatasu” (pp. 22, 64, 78). Today this woman is known as Hatshepsut, the queen who ruled as a pharaoh.

(3) The ceremony celebrating a pharaoh, who has ruled for 30 years, is called the “Triakonteris festival” (pp. 78-79). Today it is known as the Sed (or Set) festival.

The text seems to be reliable, but there are a few exceptions:

(A) On pp. 43-45 King explains how the ancient obelisk was transported from Egypt to England (1877-1878). The obelisk was placed inside a long metal cylinder named the Cleopatra while a steam tug named the Olga was employed to tow it. On 14 October 1877 a storm arose in the Bay of Biscay, and the Cleopatra keeled over. The captain of the Olga felt he had to cut the line to save his own ship; the cylinder disappeared, and it was presumed to be lost forever. King continues:

“To the great delight of the nation, it was discovered that the pontoon, instead of sinking, had floated about for sixty hours on the surface of the waters, and having been picked up by the steamer Fitzmaurice, had been towed to Vigo, on the coast of Spain. After a few weeks’ delay it was brought to England, and set up in its present position on the Thames Embankment.”

This account is inaccurate and misleading. The Cleopatra was towed to Ferrol in Spain, not to Vigo; and the delay was counted not in weeks, but in months. The cylinder did not reach England until January 1878. Following a long debate about where to place the ancient monument, it was finally erected on the Thames Embankment in September 1878, almost one year after the departure from Alexandria.

(B) On page 95 King mentions the military campaigns of Ramesses II:

“… then he led an expedition against the Khitae, or Hittites, whom he completely routed at Kadesh …, a town on the River Orontes…”

This is what Ramesses wanted the world to believe, but it is not true. Today we know that the battle was a draw; if anybody lost, Ramesses did. Ca. fifteen years later, in 1258 BC, the Egyptians and the Hittites concluded a peace treaty, in which the two powers agreed not to go to war against each other again.

For more information about the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BC) please turn to chapter three of T. G. H. James, Ramesses II (2002).

(C) On pp. 99-100 there is a long quotation about Ramesses II, taken from a book by Canon Rawlinson, which says, in part:

“He was also, as already observed, the first to introduce into Egypt the degrading custom of polygamy and the corrupting influence of the harem.”

This moralising statement is not true. Every pharaoh of ancient Egypt had a harem, and this practice was widespread among ancient rulers, especially in the Middle East. There is no reason to single Ramesses out and blame him for this.

It is easy to judge ancient rulers by modern standards, but it does not make much sense. Whether we like Ramesses or not, there is no doubt that he is an interesting and important person of the ancient world.

In spite of the minor flaws mentioned above, King’s book about the London Obelisk is still quite interesting and valuable. It is fortunate that Forgotten Books decided to include this old volume in its Classic Reprint Series.

PS. King’s book is mentioned in Cleopatra’s Needles and Other Egyptian Obelisks (published by the Religious Tract Society in 1926 and reprinted by Dover in 1990). The author, E. A. Wallis Budge, explains is his preface that his book is “intended to take the place of ‘Cleopatra’s Needle’ by the late Rev J. King.”

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James King,

Cleopatra's Needle:

A History of the London Obelisk;

With an Exposition of the Hieroglyphics,

The Religious Tract Society, 1883, 1886, 1893,

Forgotten books, 2012, 128 pages

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The ancient Egyptian obelisk , known as Cleopatra's Needle,
was erected in Heliopolis by Thotmes (or Thutmose) III ca. 1450 BC.

The obelisk is flanked by two sphinxes, modern copies of an Egyptian original.
In this picture you can see sphinx # 1.

In this picture you can see sphinx # 2.

This plaque explains that the obelisk was presented to England in 1819.
The text does not say that the British government did not accept the gift
(because it was considered too expensive).

This plaque explains the ancient history of the obelisk.

This plaque explains how the obelisk was transported from Alexandria to London.

This plaque mentions the names of six sailors, who lost their lives trying to rescue the
obelisk during a storm in the Bay of Biscay in October 1877.

This plaque explains the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the obelisk.

The obelisk is 21 m (68 feet) tall and weighs ca. 180 tons.

After a long and difficult voyage from Alexandria to London, the obelisk was
erected in its present position in September 1878.

This plaque gives information about a German air raid on London,
which took place during World War One (on 4 September 1917).

In this picture you can see the damage
that was done to the sphinx by the German bomb.

Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment of the River Thames in London.

Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment of the River Thames in London.

Cleopatra's Needle on the Embankment of the River Thames in London.

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