Obelisk, four-sided tapering shaft terminating in a pyramid or
conical top. In ancient Egypt, pairs of these monoliths, each
hewn from a single piece of red granite and set on a cubical
base, often flanked temple entrances and were associated with sun
worship. The pointed tops were frequently sheathed in brass or
gold; sculptured dedicatory or commemorative hieroglyphs about
the Egyptian pharaohs usually ran down the sides of the shaft.
Obelisks were produced throughout ancient Egyptian history, the
dwarf specimens generally dating from the earliest and latest
periods, and the giant specimens from the Middle Kingdom.
The obelisk form is still used in monuments and decorations and
as an architectural adjunct. It was a popular feature in baroque
and neoclassical tombs and has been used everywhere in the
Western world as an ornamental element in parks, gardens, and
cemeteries. It has often been added to fountains, balustrades,
and gables. The Bunker Hill Monument in Boston, and the
Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., are built in the shape
of obelisks; as opposed to the traditional obelisk, which is
carved from a single piece of solid rock, these monuments are
masonry towers constructed of many stone blocks.