Bloomsbury (2016) h/b 238pp £19.99 (ISBN 9781474242936)
This book forms part of the Bloomsbury ‘Egyptology’ series edited by Nicholas Reeves. The subtitle is ‘The Lost Obelisks of Egypt’, and it tells the stories of the obelisks currently standing outside the country.
One of Dr Brier’s major strengths is his ability to tell stories in a very engaging way. I was held riveted by ‘Cleopatra’s Needle Sails for London’, the remarkable tale of how a British team transported to London inside a specially constructed metal cylinder one of the two obelisks which Augustus had initially taken to Alexandria. Equally fascinating are the chapters on the French and American teams’ successes in transporting one obelisk from Luxor to Paris, and the second Alexandrian obelisk to New York. Dr Brier explains the immense technical problems that had to be faced and how solutions were found. Along the way he introduces the reader to the fascinating array of characters who made these events happen.
The opening chapter begins with an expertly written summary of Pharaonic Egypt, the role of monumental building in stone within this culture and thus the original function of obelisks. We learn how they were quarried, worked, transported and erected. Chapter 2 tells of Rome’s obelisks. This chapter is perhaps less successful, as a slightly unsatisfactory summary of Egypt in the age of Julius Caesar and Augustus is followed by a very interesting but rather anecdotal account of the obelisks standing in Rome (at the Piazza del Popolo, Monte Citorio, Esquiline, Quirinal, Spanish Steps, Viale delle Terme, Piazza della Minerva, Piazza Navona, Villa Celimontana, Piazza della Rotonda, Monte Picino) and the one obelisk erected in Istanbul by Theodosius. Paradoxically, little can be said about how the Romans transported their obelisks. Much more evidence is available for how the Renaissance architect Domenico Fontana planned and executed the lifting and moving of the obelisk that had once stood in the Vatican circus to its new location in front of the new St Peter’s Basilica.
The book is impressive in its range, encompassing periods as diverse as Pharaonic Egypt and the nineteenth century politics of the Suez Canal. The style is informal and very readable, at times jokey. The limited number of footnotes and references can be a little frustrating, but it is a nicely produced and well-illustrated book. Minor quibbles aside, this is a fascinating and very informative piece of work.
Giles Gilbert—Woodbridge School