Cleopatra's Needle (buried 1878) The Victorians planted a time capsule beneath Cleopatra's Needle when it was eventually installed on Embankment in 1878.
A time capsule buried beneath the obelisk contains an 1870 U.S. census, a Bible, a Webster's Dictionary, the complete works of William Shakespeare, a guide to Egypt, and a copy of the United States Declaration of Independence.
6 members of the Olga crew died as they tried to board the Cleopatra to bring it under control. But eventually it reached London and the obelisk was erected on a plinth containing a time capsule from that era.
Cleopatra's Needles are a separated pair of ancient Egyptian obelisks now in London and New York City. The obelisks were originally made in Heliopolis (modern Cairo) during the New Kingdom period, inscribed by the 18th dynasty pharaoh Thutmose III and 19th dynasty pharaoh Ramesses II.
The oldest man-made object on the streets of London is this: Cleopatra's Needle. It is an Ancient Egyptian obelisk, raised in Heliopolis in around 1450BC. It was presented to Britain by the then ruler of Egypt, a man called Muhammad Ali, who was Balkan-born viceroy of Egypt on behalf of the Ottoman Empire.
Cleopatra's Needle - The Harrowing Journey from Alexandria to London
Has Cleopatra's coffin been discovered?
So far, the tomb itself remains elusive, but the temple excavations continue, with additional sites below the surface identified using ground-penetrating radar in 2011.
The oldest man-made object in Central Park is this Obelisk, located directly behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nicknamed Cleopatra's Needle soon after its installation, the stone shaft has nothing to do with the legendary Queen of the Nile.
The temple had been built by Cleopatra, which is one theory of how they came to be called “Cleopatra's Needles,” a name that still endures. The Romans created the bronze crabs as supports for the damaged obelisks. In Roman mythology, crabs are associated with Apollo, the sun god, thus continuing the solar connection.
The preserved, mummified left hand has an unbroken history of ownership since its acquisition in Egypt by the English General Bowser, in 1794. It was presented to the general as the “hand of Cleopatra, daughter of Ptolemy Auletes.” It measures 7 7/8 inches and is in excellent condition (20.3 cm).
When the triumphant Roman arrived, she attempted to seduce him, but he resisted her charms. Rather than fall under Octavian's domination, Cleopatra died by suicide on either August 10 or August 12, 30 B.C., possibly by means of an asp, a poisonous Egyptian serpent and symbol of divine royalty.
Only about 30 such obelisks are still in existence worldwide; figures vary between sources with different definitions of extant Egyptian obelisks. For example, David Allen states there are 29 such obelisks, with more in Italy than in Egypt.
But she also had a clear idea of how she wanted to be perceived: in life as a beautiful goddess, in death, as immortal and, pertinently, with her remains entombed and hidden forever.
Cleopatra realised the healing properties of Dead Sea salts and she was famous for using them for their natural healing properties. It's unknown whether she fully realized the full range of benefits that Dead Sea salts give the skin by replenishing essential minerals, but they were a key part of her beauty routine.
Britain wanted something large and significant to commemorate the British victory over Napoleon, sixty-three years earlier. So the British public subscribed £15,000 to bring the Needle over from Alexandria. It arrived in England after an eventful journey by sea in January 1878.
Before Central Park was created, the landscape along what is now the Park's perimeter from West 82nd to West 89th Street was the site of Seneca Village, a community of predominantly African-Americans, many of whom owned property.
Have you ever noticed—or climbed—Central Park's impressive rock formations? Although it's true that the Park is man-made, the rocks that you see are not. They are exposed portions of ancient bedrock – solid rock that lies under soil and other loose surface materials.
Cleopatra's Needle is the obelisk that stands on the Thames Embankment in London. It was transported from Egypt to London in 1877. It is one of three similar Ancient Egyptian obelisks, with the other two re-erected in Paris and New York.
A search for Cleopatra's tomb, led by the Dominican defense lawyer turned archaeologist, Kathleen Martinez, continues to give the public glimpses into what life in the Ptolemaic included. Nonetheless, the Egyptian Queen's remains still have yet to be found.
After his assassination, Julius Caesar was cremated at the southeastern quarter of the Roman Forum. His remains were buried at the site of his cremation and a temple built atop this site.
While the tomb has yet to be definitively found, the discoveries made so far have already deepened our understanding of the Ptolemaic period and Cleopatra's cultural world. As 2025 unfolds, anticipation continues to build.
After being toppled and buried by Persians in 525 B.C., it was rediscovered by Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus and relocated to Alexandria. There, it was placed in front of Cleopatra's Caesarium, earning its nickname, "Cleopatra's Needle."
Cleopatra's Needle is flanked by two faux-Egyptian sphinxes, designed by the English architect George John Vulliamy. The sphinxes are cast in bronze and bear hieroglyphic inscriptions that say netjer nefer men-kheper-re di ankh, which translates as "the good god, Thuthmosis III given life".
Cleopatra's Needle is an almost 3,500-year-old granite obelisk. It was made in Egypt, given to Britain as a gift, and now overlooks the River Thames from a spot on London's Thames Embankment.
