February 20, 2004
When obelisks can fly . . .
The story of the Axum obelisk's return to Ethiopia continues. The Guardian reports it is all dismantled and packed, but Italy cannot lay hands on a plane capable of transporting it. And it seems the difficulties won't end there:
Shipping the obelisk back, along the path it took more than 60 years ago, is no longer an easy option - Ethiopia has been landlocked since 1993 when Eritrea declared independence. And the only airstrip big enough for the plane required is at the capital, Addis Ababa, more than 100 miles from Axum. Ethiopia's dusty roads and tracks are hardly fit for the transport of heavy loads.Meanwhile, Ethiopia has been pressing for the return of other lost pieces of its heritage, including manuscripts in the English royal collection
NOTE: Jim Davila remarks (re: the Times article): "Only journalists would report on this without ever saying what texts are in the manuscripts!
Posted by David on February 20, 2004 11:35 AM
Wimps. Can't we do anything without an internal combustion engine?
A true obelisk is a single piece of stone. From 2300 to 1300 BC, the Egyptians cut and erected dozens of monster obelisks. Some were over 100 feet high and reached weights of 500 tons -- as much as a small cargo ship.Yet, after they were quarried, obelisks had to be moved and lifted into position. The Egyptians did that over and over again; later generations seldom tried. Bern Dibner tells how a few Roman Caesars moved big obelisks. They even hauled them across the Mediterranean. They carried a 370-ton obelisk in a ship powered by 300 oarsmen. Much later, in 1586, an Italian engineer made modern history by relocating that same obelisk to the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
More moving tips here:
The move took 6 months to plan. The obelisk was as fragile as it was immense. Human and animal power had to be carefully focused. Fontana built timber towers on either side and strengthened the obelisk itself with metal bands and wooden beams. He wound three-inch ropes on forty huge capstans -- each one powered by four horses. He planned to lift the obelisk between the towers, turn it on its side, lower it onto rollers for the trip to St. Peter's, and then reverse the process.All this took the precision of close-order drill and absolute silence. Fontana allowed only two sounds: a trumpet blast to begin a movement, and a bell to end it.
Posted by: Peter Shriner on February 20, 2004 5:24 PM
cronaca.com