Illustrated Companion to the Latin Dictionary/Obeliscus

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rich, Anthony (1849). The illustrated companion to the Latin dictionary, and Greek lexicon. p. vi. OCLC 894670115. https://archive.org/details/illustratedcompa00rich. 

OBELIS'CUS (ὀβελίσκος). Literally, a small spit; whence applied to other things which possess a sharp or pointed extremity, like a spit; and especially to the tall, slender, rectangular columns, upon a narrow base, and terminating in a point at the top, which were originally invented by the Egyptians, and retain their ancient name of obelisk with us. (Plin. H. N. xxxvi. 14. Ammian. xvii. 4. 6.) The illustration (Obeliscus/1.1) represents an original Egyptian obelisk, covered with hieroglyphics, which was originally brought to Rome for the purpose of decorating the mausoleum of Augustus, in the Campus Martius.

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  Obeliscus/1.1