The Hatshepsut obelisks in contrast with the Harburg monument against war, fascism and for peaceThe four obelisks of Hatshepsut, Queen of Egypt, were erected at Karnak, Temple of Amen-Ra under the reign of Queen Hatshepsut during the New Kingdom era between 1473 and 1458 BC (“Fragment”). They were built to celebrate his accession to the throne and subsequently his jubilee (“Fragment”). Over 3000 years later, in 1986, the Harburg Monument against War, Fascism and for Peace was erected in Hamburg, Germany, during the rise of neo-fascism (Shalev-Gerz). Although separated by space and time, these two monuments are strikingly similar. Although they tell two different narratives from two different eras, understanding what they have in common can help us understand more deeply what makes them different. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Although there were originally four obelisks of Hatshepsut, only one remains standing today. They were made of solid pink granite and on each side and base was inscribed the purpose of their creation ("Egyptian Obelisk"). At the time of their creation, the peaks were adorned with alloys of gold, bronze or silver, allowing the sun to reflect off them ("Egyptian Obelisk"). It is not known exactly how the obelisks were made, but there are two prevailing theories. It is hypothesized that the obelisks were made in a quarry where granite was quarried using dolerite pellets, small pellets of volcanic rock, to remove the granite blow by blow ("Egyptian Obelisk"). Another possible alternative is that wedges of sycamore wood were inserted into the cracks of the granite while they were wet. These wooden wedges expand and break the granite making extraction easier and may have been used in conjunction with the dolerite (“Egyptian Obelisk”) method. The inscriptions on Hatshepsut's obelisks give us an idea of ​​why they were built. Hatshepsut, although not the first female ruler of Egypt, was one of the most successful women and known for a kingdom that flourished under her reign ("The Temple"). In the reliefs on the obelisks she declared herself not a queen but a king, and was shown dressed in the robes of a pharaoh ("The Temple"). In these reliefs, she interacts with the Gods and declares her desire to make obelisks for them and for her father before her ("The Temple"). These stories were not simply meant to be commemorative, but to reinforce Hatshepsut's right to rule. It was a public declaration of his divine right by the Gods and that it should preserve his memory for eternity. A small fragment of Hatshepsut's obelisks is available for viewing in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Even this small fragment gives an idea of ​​the vastness and solidity of the obelisks. The side reliefs give a sense of scale. A rather large representation of a pharaoh with a large headdress can be seen on the front and right side of the fragment. Hieroglyphics accompany the illustration. At this size, it becomes clear that they were intended to be read by those who went to the site of the obelisks, so that everyone could understand Hatshepsut's right to rule. Instead, the Harburg Monument against war, fascism and for peace was built. simply. The structure was hollow and made of aluminum and covered with sheets of soft lead (Rosen). It measured twelve meters by one (Shalev-Gerz). During the aforementioned rise of neo-fascism, the city of Hamburg was looking for someone to create a monument to publicly oppose this worrying.