obelisk

obelisk.
A tall, generally monolithic, stone shaft, square or rectangular in section, slightly tapering towards the top, and with a pyramidal apex. Obelisks originated in Egypt in the 3rd millennium bc as solar symbols, and many were removed to Rome as trophies after the conquest of Egypt in 30 BC. Their rediscovery during the Renaissance led to the adaptation of the obelisk form for monuments and in architectural ornament. During the 19th century others were transferred to Paris, London, and New York and few now remain standing in Egypt. The so-called Cleopatra's Needle in London (it dates from about 1500 BC, long before Cleopatra) originally stood at Alexandria; it was presented to Britain in 1819 by the Turkish viceroy of Egypt, but because of the difficulty of transporting the huge granite object it was not moved to London until 1877 and was erected there in 1878.