The Obelisk of Antinous, also known as the Pincian Obelisk, was found in the 16th century in Rome near the Porta Maggiore, on the ruins of the Circus Varianus. It had been placed there by the Emperor Elagabalus (AD 218-222) as an ornament for his chariot-racing arena within the palace estate known as the Horti Spei Veteris, on the Esquiline Hill.
The obelisk had originally been commissioned by Hadrian (AD 117-138) after the death of his favourite, Antinous. It was long thought that the obelisk was originally erected at Antinoöpolis in Egypt, but evidence now suggests that Hadrian erected it at his villa near Tivoli, and it may be part of the now missing tomb complex of Antinous. Inscriptions on the obelisk represent the only contemporary texts from the cult of Antinous, and may point to where Antinous was actually buried.
History
The obelisk is a monolith made of pink granite from Aswan. It now measures 9.25m in height, but reaches 17.26m on its modern base and pedestal. The pyramidal apex, or pyramidion, of an Egyptian obelisk was usually covered with a leaf made of an alloy of gold and silver (electrum) that reflected the sun’s rays. Egyptian obelisks were sometimes inscribed with small cartouches bearing the name of the sovereign, and depictions of deities. However, the Antinous obelisk and the Egyptian obelisks brought to Rome were given a decorative bronze element of various shapes and sizes.
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