Obelisk of Theodosius

This ancient Egyptian obelisk stands on the spine of the former Hippodrome, cut from pink granite for the pharaoh Thutmose III and later brought to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius I in the late fourth century. Only the upper portion of the original shaft survives, still bright with crisply carved hieroglyphs celebrating the pharaoh's victories. It rests on a Roman marble pedestal whose reliefs show the emperor and his court presiding over the games. The pairing of Egyptian and late Roman sculpture makes it especially instructive.