Il misterioso obelisco dell'elefante di Catania

The obelisk in Piazza Duomo in Catania is Egyptianizing: that is to say, it is a monument that imitates Egyptian figurative elements in the imagery and in the regal and divine attributes. Furthermore, it does not exhibit hieroglyphics relating to the cult of Isis, but simply incised designs: above all human and divine figures, placed from top to bottom, which, as they do not constitute hieroglyphic writing in the full sense, serve a purely ornamental purpose. A peculiar characteristic of our obelisk, which tourist guides should highlight, is the untypical and singular octagonal shape, which so far has not been found in any other known obelisks, which have quadrangular section.