Scientist discovers 7 secret messages hidden on Paris' Egyptian Obelisk
For nearly 200 years, the centre of Paris has hosted a priceless artefact from Egyptian history, a stunning spectacle for all to behold.
Located at Place de la Concorde in the city's eighth arrondissement, the Luxor Obelisk was made by the Egyptians more than 3,000 years ago.
Carved from red granite, it was created under Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II (c. 1250 BC) and given to France in the 19th century.
Until now, academics thought they had deciphered the hieroglyphs running the length of the monument, which is topped by gold-leafed pyramid cap added by the French in the 1990s.
But according to an academic, the structure is still yielding Egyptian secrets.
Dr Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier, an Egyptologist at Paris-Sorbonne University, claims to have found seven secret messages on the obelisk.
One offers a cryptic phrase 'Appease the ka-force of Amun' in reference to the ancient Egyptian god of the air.
'This phrase is there to remind us that men must constantly make offerings to the divinities in order to appease their sometimes destructive vital force,' said the expert.
The obelisk in Paris is actually one of two known as the Obélisques de Louxor, each carved from a single piece of red granite over 3,000 years ago.
While one remains in position outside of Egypt's Luxor Temple, the other was transported to Paris aboard a custom-built ship in the early 1830s.
In 1836, it was erected by by King Louis-Phillipe in the centre of Place de la Concorde – the public square that hosted executions during the French Revolution in the 18th century.
Both of the Luxor Obelisks feature hieroglyphic text carved in sunken relief on all four sides, spanning their impressive height.
In the 19th century, French Egyptologist François Chabas produced a full translation of the Paris obelisk, which can be read here.
But new analysis by Dr Olette-Pelletier reveals seven hidden messages never before discerned by modern scholars.
During Covid lockdowns, he became the first specialist to access the top of the Paris obelisk since its installation at Place de la Concorde in 1836.
He was also authorized to make use of scaffolding across the length of the structure that was put up for renovations prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Both feature hieroglyphic text carved in sunken relief on all four sides, spanning their impressive height. Pictured, the Paris obelisk
What are the Luxor Obelisks?
The Luxor Obelisks are two monuments from ancient Egypt separated by the Mediterranean.
One remains in position outside of Egypt's Luxor Temple, while the other was transported to Paris aboard a custom-built ship in the early 1830s.
Both feature hieroglyphic text carved in sunken relief on all four sides.
Over several days, he was able to take measurements and make detailed analyses about the profound artistic patterns.
Dr Olette-Pelletier is one of only six people worldwide who is able to read 'crypto-hieroglyphs'. These are secret texts inserted into the hieroglyphic inscriptions themselves – historically making them visible to a select group of people.
'I understood that the obelisk contained multiple hieroglyphic cryptography,' he told popular French magazine Sciences et Avenir.
'While some Egyptians could read hieroglyphs, only a certain elite were capable of understanding the hidden messages they could contain, considered a language of the gods.'
The west face of the obelisk was designed to be seen only by nobles who were arriving by boats on the Nile when it was originally in Egypt.
One scene depicting Ramses making an offering to the god Amun represents 'a true propaganda message of Ramses' absolute sovereignty'.
Meanwhile, the east face – which was originally turned towards the desert – has subtle bull horns inside a headdress worn by Ramses II.
'From a hieroglyphic point of view, the bull horns form the word 'ka', which designates the vital force of the divinity,' the expert said.
What the expert has discerned was 'beyond the grasp of any Egyptologist who knew how to read hieroglyphs', Sciences et Avenir reports.
Excitingly, the twin monument in Egypt is not quite identical, so could similarly reveal hidden messages along its slightly taller height.
It's unclear whether Dr Olette-Pelletier's analysis has included this obelisk too; MailOnline has contacted the academic for more information.
All seven messages on the Paris obelisk will soon be revealed in a paper to be detailed in the Montpellier Egyptology journal ENIM.
WHO WAS RAMSES II?
Ramses II lived from 1279 BC to 1213 BC.
The pharaoh was known to Egyptians as Userma'atre'setepenre, meaning 'keeper of Harmony and Balance, Strong in Right, Elect of Ra', according to the Ancient History Encyclopedia.
Ramses II was the 19th Dynasty's third pharaoh, who reportedly declared a decisive victory at The Battle of Kadesh over the Hittites.
Ramses II supposedly flaunted the result of this battle to elevate his reputation.
However, the battle ended in somewhat of a tie, and was not exactly a win for either party.
In fact, it resulted in the earliest known peace treaty, composed in 1258 BCE.
Ramses II is commonly linked to the pharaoh depicted in the book of Exodus in the Bible.
But there is no archaeological or historical evidence associating the two figures.
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