What happened to the Axum obelisk?

In 1937, following the Italian occupation, King Ezana’s obelisk of Axum was taken as war booty and moved to Italy. The monolith stele was cut into three pieces and transported by truck along the tortuous route between Axum and the port of Massawa, taking five trips over a period of two months.

What does the Obelisk of Axum represent?

The organization and resources needed to harvest the stone, transport it, carve it, and erect it demonstrate the high level of social organization of Axumite society, as well as the great power of their kings. The Obelisk of Axum is intricately carved to represent a nine-story Axumite building.

Who took the obelisk of Aksum?

The first piece of a huge 1,700-year-old granite obelisk was returned home from Italy to Ethiopia yesterday, 68 years after it was looted by the troops of the fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

What is the Axum obelisk made of?

The stelae were carved mainly from solid blocks of nepheline syenite, a weather-resistant rock similar in appearance to granite, and are believed to have come from the quarries of Wuchate Golo several miles to the west of Aksum.

When was Axum obelisk returned?

After years of fighting and delays, the Obelisk was finally returned to Ethiopia in 2007.

What remains of Aksum today?

The ruins of the ancient city of Aksum are found close to Ethiopia’s northern border. The massive ruins, dating from between the 1st and the 13th century A.D., include monolithic obelisks, giant stelae, royal tombs and the ruins of ancient castles.

Why is the Obelisk of Axum important?

A pagan Kingdom during its early peak, giant pillars were erected to mark the tombs of important leaders. In the 4th century, the King Ezana of Axum solidified the Kingdom’s conversion to Christianity, and stopped all pagan practices, including the erection of burial stelea such as the 80-foot Obelisk of Axum.

What is the meaning of Axum?

or Axum (ˈɑːksʊm ) noun. an ancient town in N Ethiopia, in the Tigre region: capital of the Aksumite Empire (1st to 6th centuries ad). According to tradition, the Ark of the Covenant was brought here from Jerusalem.

When was Axum stolen?

The Obelisks of Axum The Italian occupation of Ethiopia is considered by many a period of hardship within the country, with many long hidden artefacts and national treasures being stolen by the occupiers, and despite its mammoth measurements, the Monolith of Axum was taken from Ethiopians in the 1930s.

Why did they construct obelisks in Axum?

What type of structure was Aksum famous for constructing?

The most impressive monuments are the monolithic obelisks, royal tombs and the palace ruins dating to the 6th and 7th centuries AD. Several stelae survive in the town of Aksum dating between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD.

How old is Axum Obelisk?

1,721c. 300 AD
Obelisk of Axum/Age

How tall is the Obelisk of Axum Ethiopia?

24 m (79 ft) The Obelisk of Axum (Amharic: የአክሱም ሐውልት) is a 4th-century AD, 24-metre-tall (79-feet) phonolite stele/obelisk, weighing 160 tonnes, in the city of Axum in Ethiopia.

How did the Obelisk of Axum influence the Nelson Monument?

Salt travelled back to England with Captain Thomas Fremantle, and the design of the Obelisk of Axum influenced that of the Nelson Monument, Portsdown Hill, for which Fremantle raised the funds.

Where was the Obelisk of King Ezana found?

At the end of 1935, following the Italian occupation, Italian soldiers found King Ezana ‘s obelisk of Axum fallen, broken in three sections, and semi-underground. The stele was one of about fifty obelisks in the city of Axum at the time of the discovery.

Where was the Kingdom of Axum in Ethiopia?

The Kingdom of Aksum or Axum, also known as the Aksumite Empire, was a trading nation in the area of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia , which existed from approximately 100 to 940 AD.