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==Description==
The obelisk was originally one of a pair that stood at the east pylon of the temple of [[Isis]] at Philae.{{sfn|Masséglia|2020|p=11}} The other obelisk of the pair was broken into pieces in antiquity. The surviving obelisk consists of a long shaft, topped by a pyramidion and a rectangular base. The bottom of the shaft is a modern restoration. Including the modern base, it stands roughly seven metres tall.{{sfn|Masséglia|2020|p=10}} There are two inscriptions: a hieroglyphic text on the shaft and a Greek text on the base. An additional painted Greek text on the base was observed in 1815, but has now been lost due to weathering.{{sfn|Masséglia|2020|p=11}} The inscriptions are published in the ''Corpus of Ptolemaic Inscriptions'' as number 424.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bowman |first1=Alan |last2=Crowther |first2=Charles |last3=Hornblower |first3=Simon |last4=Mairs |first4=Rachel |last5=Savvopoulos |first5=Kyriakos |title=Corpus of Ptolemaic Inscriptions: Volume III: Southern Border, Oases, and Incerta |date=2021
The inscriptions record a petition by the [[Ancient Egyptian religion|Egyptian priests]] at Philae and the favourable response by [[Ptolemy VIII of Egypt|Ptolemy VIII Euergetes]] and queens [[Cleopatra II of Egypt|Cleopatra II]] and [[Cleopatra III of Egypt|Cleopatra III]], who reigned together from 144-132 BC and again from 126-116 BC. The priests sought financial aid to help them deal with the large numbers of pilgrims visiting their sanctuary and the king and queens granted the sanctuary a tax exemption.{{sfn|Masséglia|2020|p=11}} The inscriptions deal with the same subject matter, but they are not a direct translation of one another.{{sfn|Masséglia|2020|p=11}}
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