Hieroglyphs on an obelisk at Constantinople—Niebuhr/Martin 1773 old print
£45
SKU: P-6-111790
Hieroglyphen auf einem Obelisk zu Constantinopel [Hieroglyphs on an obelisk at Constantinople]
An antiquarian plate recording the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the Egyptian obelisk in Constantinople’s Hippodrome, together with the monument’s form and details. Such plates are especially interesting because they predate the decipherment of hieroglyphs, preserving inscriptions as carefully copied visual evidence rather than as readable text. The obelisk, transported from Egypt to the heart of the Byzantine and later Ottoman capital, embodies the movement of ancient monuments across empires. Niebuhr’s expedition valued accurate copying and measurement, and this plate belongs to that documentary tradition. It should appeal to collectors of Egyptology, Constantinople, classical antiquity and the history of scholarship, as well as to those interested in early European attempts to record ancient scripts. It has particular resonance within the pre-history of Egyptological decipherment.
Size 21 x 16 cm | 8.0 x 6.0 inches
Date Published: 1773
Type: Antique uncoloured copper-engraved antiquarian / hieroglyphic plate
Author: Martin, Claude-Emanuel
Publication: Niebuhr's Description de l’Arabie
Condition: Good |
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