The Problem of the Obelisks

The Problem of the Obelisks:
From a Study of the Unfinished
Obelisk at Aswan

The Problem of the Obelisks by R. Engelbach, published by T. Fisher Unwin Ltd. in 1923, was reprinted by Nabu Press in 2010 and by Forgotten Books in 2012. This old book is still interesting and valuable.

Reginald (or Rex) Engelbach (1888-1946) was a British Egyptologist. On the title page of this book he is described as Chief Inspector of Antiquities in Upper (i.e. southern)

Egypt

. Following a brief preface, the main text is divided into nine chapters:

I – Obelisks and Quarries

II – Description of the Aswan Obelisk
III - Setting out an Obelisk

IV – Extraction of an Obelisk

V – Transport of an Obelisk
VI – Erection of an Obelisk

VII – Some ancient Records

VIII - A History of certain Obelisks and their Architects
IX – Removals of Obelisks in modern Times

At the end of the book we find Appendix I (Dates of Egyptian kings) and Appendix II (Spelling of Egyptian names) and a general index. The text is illustrated by 44 photos and drawings in black-and-white.

As you can see from the table of contents, this is not a traditional book about ancient Egyptian obelisks. The focus is on the mechanical and technical problems related to obelisks, and the starting point is the broken or unfinished obelisk, which is still lying in the ancient quarry at Aswan in the south of

Egypt

The subtitle – From a Study of the unfinished Obelisk at Aswan – is important, because it shows the angle which the author wants to pursue.

In his preface Engelbach explains that this volume (published in 1923) is a popular version of a scholarly report The Aswan Obelisk (published in 1922). The popular version is an easy read. The technical stuff is not difficult to understand. The text and the illustrations complement each other well. The illustrations help the reader understand the point he is trying to make in the text.

Unfortunately, illustrations are not always placed next to the relevant passages in the text. You have to flip back and forth between text and illustration. This is a bit annoying, but it is only a minor problem.

The Aswan obelisk is 137 feet long. If it had been completed, the weight would have been ca. 1,168 tons. It would have been the tallest and the heaviest obelisk in the world.

The workers had to give up, because they found several fissures in the granite. They tried to evade this problem and create a smaller obelisk instead, but even this plan had to be abandoned, because the fissures were too widespread.

We do not know when this took place; perhaps around 1500 BC, but the ancient obelisk is still lying in the ancient quarry, and when we study this unfinished project, it is possible to find the answer to some of the questions that we have about the ancient obelisks (chapters I and II).

In chapters III-VI the author follows an obelisk step by step from the moment when it is excavated in the quarry until it is standing in front of an ancient temple. The author presents and evaluates several interpretations of the material evidence. In some cases he has even conducted a practical experiment on a small scale. As far as I can see, his account is reliable, and his conclusions are sound.

In chapter VII he reviews the ancient literary evidence about obelisks, which is quite limited. The Egyptians set up many obelisks, but they never bothered to give us a detailed account about how it was done. That is why the methods employed are still the subject of intense discussion today.

In chapter VIII the author presents some of the royal architects, who worked for the pharaohs. We know some names and sometimes a bit more about them, because they were buried in individual tombs in Thebes. Here are a few examples:

** Ineni, who worked for Thutmosis I, was buried in a tomb known as TT 81.

** Sennemut, who worked for Hatshepsut, was buried in a tomb known as TT 71.

** Other architects are Dhutiy (TT 11); Puimre (TT 39); Menkheperra-sonb (TT 86); and Beknek-honsu (TT 35).

Ancient Egyptian names are tricky, because they were written without the vowels. Modern scholars do not always use the same forms as Engelbach did in the beginning of the 20th century. For instance he says Hatshepsowet, while modern scholars say Hatshepsut.

When discussing how a heavy monument was moved on land, Engelbach refers to a wall painting found in the tomb of Dhuthopte in el-Bersheh. Modern scholars call this person Djehutihotep and the location Deir el-Bersha.

In chapter IX the author completes his account by telling us the story of four famous obelisks, which were erected in foreign lands in modern times:

The first obelisk had been transported from

Egypt

to Rome in antiquity. In 1586 it was erected in front of St. Peter’s Church in Rome. [See Obelisk: A History (2009), chapter 5]

The second obelisk was transported from Luxor in

Egypt

France

in 1833. In 1836 it was erected in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. [See Obelisk: A History (2009), chapter 10]

The third obelisk was transported from Alexandria in

Egypt

England

in 1877-1878. In 1878 it was erected on the Embankment of the River Thames. [See Cleopatra’s Needle, 1893]

The fourth obelisk was transported from Alexandria in

Egypt

to the

in 1880. In 1881 it was erected in Central Park in New York. [See The New York Obelisk, 1993]

Engelbach wrote his book almost one hundred years ago, but in my opinion it is still relevant. If you are interested in ancient

Egypt

, in particular the obelisk, I think you will enjoy this account about the practical problems related to a remarkable type of monument, which is an important symbol of this ancient civilization.

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Reginald Engelbach,

The Problem of the Obelisks:

From a Study of the Unfinished Obelisk at Aswan,

T. Fisher Unwin Ltd., 1923, Nabu Press, 2010, Forgotten Books, 2012, 134 pages

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