File:Rambles in Rome - an archæological and historical guide to the museums, galleries, villas, churches, and antiquities of Rome and the Campagna (1887) (14767823862).jpg

Identifier: ramblesinromearc00forb (find matches)
Title: Rambles in Rome : an archæological and historical guide to the museums, galleries, villas, churches, and antiquities of Rome and the Campagna
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Forbes, S. Russell
Subjects: Art -- Rome Rome -- Guidebooks Rome -- Antiquities
Publisher: London www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/tags/book...
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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salstatues. Far behind and above it rises the matchless dome. Twosmaller cupolas, one on each side, add not a little to the majesty ofthe principal dome. Five lofty portals open into the vestibule ; it is 468 feet in length,66 in height, and 50 in breadth, paved with variegated marble,covered with a gilt vault, adorned with pillars, pilasters, mosaic, andbas-reliefs, and terminated at both ends by equestrian statues, oneof Constantine, the other of Charlemagne. THE OBELISK is the only one near its original site, the Sphia of Neros Circus,which was near the Sacristy, on the left of S. Peters. An inscriptionin the pavement marks the place. Pliny (xxxvi. 14), says: Thethird obelisk at Rome is in the Vatican Circus, which was con-structed by the emperors Caius (Caligula) and Nero; this being theonly one of them all that has been broken in the carriage. Nun-corcus, the son of Sesoses, made it \the original, this is probably acopy), and there remains (in Egypt) another by him, 100 cubits in
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108 KAMULE II. height, which, by order of an oracle, he consecrated to the sun, afterhaving lost his sight and recovered it. Herodotus says: It wasdedicated by Phero, son of Sesostris, in gratitude for his recoveryfrom blindness. It has no hieroglyphics, so if this was the originalhow could they know who erected it ? but it bears this inscription ofCaligula— DIVO. CAES. DIVI. JULII. K. AUGUSTC—TI. CAESARI.DIVI. AUG. F.—AUGUSTO. SACRUM. (To the divine Augustus, son of the divine Julius, and to the divineTiberius, son of the divine Augustus.) The Nuncorcus of Pliny is supposed to stand for Menophtheus,the king Meneph-Pthah. Pliny (xvi. 76) gives the following particulars of how it wasbrought over:— A fir tree of prodigious size was used in the vessel which, by thecommand of Caligula, brought the obelisk from Egypt, which standsin the Vatican Circus, and four blocks of the same sort of stone tosupport it. Nothing certainly ever appeared on the sea moreastonishing than this vessel

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