Chroniclr on Nostr: 📜 On This Day – 12th September: In 1878, Cleopatra’s Needle, the ancient ...
📜 On This Day – 12th September:
In 1878, Cleopatra’s Needle, the ancient Egyptian obelisk of Thothmes III, was erected on London’s Embankment. Despite its name, it has no connection to Cleopatra—its origins date back over 3,500 years to the reign of Thutmose III.
Transporting this 68-foot, 200-ton monument from Egypt to London was no small feat. After being gifted to Britain in 1819, it sat in Alexandria for decades until a specially designed ship finally brought it to the Thames.
Now, Cleopatra’s Needle stands as a symbol of Victorian-era fascination with Egypt, a time when the British Empire was at its height, importing both monuments and ideas to bolster its global image.
#OnThisDay #History
In 1878, Cleopatra’s Needle, the ancient Egyptian obelisk of Thothmes III, was erected on London’s Embankment. Despite its name, it has no connection to Cleopatra—its origins date back over 3,500 years to the reign of Thutmose III.
Transporting this 68-foot, 200-ton monument from Egypt to London was no small feat. After being gifted to Britain in 1819, it sat in Alexandria for decades until a specially designed ship finally brought it to the Thames.
Now, Cleopatra’s Needle stands as a symbol of Victorian-era fascination with Egypt, a time when the British Empire was at its height, importing both monuments and ideas to bolster its global image.
#OnThisDay #History