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The Obelisk of the Emperor Theodosius
The Egyptian Obelisk was brought from Egypt by the Emperor Theodosius I in 390. It originally had been erected at the temple of Karnak at Heliopolis by Tutmosis III. The hieroglyphs tell the story of the pharoah's military victories and depict him sacrificing to Amun-Ra. The base, however, is not Egyptian. There, on one of its faces, Theodosius is depicted watching the obelisk being set in place; on another he and his family watch chariot races. The inscriptions are in Greek and Latin.
1. View of the Obelisk
2. The base of the Obelisk
3. View of the Cathedral of St. Sofia with the obelisk of Theodosius in the foreground.