Obelisco di Dogali

This obelisk and its twin, now in the Boboli Gardens in Florence, have a similar history to the twin obelisks in Piazza della Rotonda and Villa Celimontana. These too were originally erected in Heliopolis and were later transported to Rome to adorn the temple of Isis. This one bears inscriptions dedicated to the Sun god, is made of red granite and its present height is over 9 metres. It was the last to be found. The top was discovered by chance in 1719, during work on the foundations of the Casanatense Library. It was not until 1883 that the commission, set up immediately after the Unification of Italy to carry out systematic excavations in the capital, discovered the entire obelisk.It was immediately recognised that it came from Heliopolis and was related to the other obelisk that had already been discovered and brought to Florence. In 1885 war broke out between Italy and the ancient kingdom of Ethiopia and during the fighting, 548 Italian soldiers lost their lives in an ambush at Dogali. It was then decided to erect the obelisk in memory of the mournful event, on the square in front of Termini Station, decorating the base with lions and bronze tablets with the names of the fallen soldiers. The ceremony took place on 5 June 1887.It was only in 1924, following a redevelopment of the square, that the obelisk was moved to the gardens on the side of Via delle Terme di Diocleziano, where it can be seen today