"Obelisk from the Temple of Isis" Benevento Things to Do Tip by mikey_e

It may seem odd to find an Egyptian obelisk in Benevento, considering the fact that this is really a very minor tourist centre and definitely off the radar when it comes to archeological museums. Nevertheless, this is neither an imported monument nor a knock off: it is one of the most important pieces of Egyptian religious sculpture manufactured in the West. Between 88 and 89 CE the Roman emperor Domitianus had a temple erected for the Egyptian god Isis in Benevento. The obelisk, which is of red granite, was originally in Piazza del Duomo but, since 1872, has been placed in Piazza Papiniano. It is inscribed with heiroglyphics on its four sides and Greek and Latin translations at the base. The inscriptions are primarily of laudatory remarks about Domitianus, but also contain praise for Caesar and the god Isis.
In addition to this obelisk, a second, in chunks, was discovered along with various other objects in Egyptian and Greco-Roman Egyptian style (marbles, statues and sculptures). These other artefacts, discovered in 1903, are now in the Museo del Sannio.

Address: Piazza Papiniano
Directions: Along Corso Garibaldi