Cleopatra's Needle in London Associates Cleopatra With Julius Caesar

Summary: Cleopatra's Needle in London associates Cleopatra with Julius Caesar as one of two obelisks at the Caesareum, her memorial to her first son's father.

Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, image of Cleopatra's Needle, Victoria Embankment between Golden Jubilee Bridges and Waterloo Bridge, North Bank of River Thames, City of Westminster, central Greater London, South of England; London -- Cleopatra's Needle by Chris Talbot, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons

Cleopatra's Needle in London associates Cleopatra with Julius Caesar as one of a pair of obelisks installed at the Caesareum, the last Ptolemaic queen's memorial in Alexandria to her first son's father.

Cleopatra VII Philopator (Ancient Greek: Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ, Kleopatra Philopator; ca. 69-Aug. 10 or 12, 30 BCE) designed the Caesareum in her hometown, Alexandria, as a memorial to Roman general and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar (July 12 or 13, 100-March 15, 44 BCE) after his assassination in Rome on the Ides of March, March 15, 44 BCE. He was the father of her first child and oldest son, Ptolemy XV Caesar Philopator Philometor (Ancient Greek: Πτολεμαῖος Καῖσαρ Φιλοπάτωρ Φιλομήτωρ, Ptolemaios Kaisar Philopator Philometor, "Ptolemy Caesar, Beloved of his Father, Beloved of his Mother"; 47-30 BCE), known as Caesarion (Ancient Greek: Καισαρίων, Kaisarion, "Little Caesar"). History considers Cleopatra and Julius Caesar's love child as his father's only known biological son. Before, during and briefly after Caesar's assassination, Cleopatra and Caesarion were staying at Horti Caesaris, Caesar's villa on the Tiber River's right bank, south of Rome. Both Cleopatra and Caesarion survived Julius Caesar by approximately 14 years five months.

Cleopatra incorporated two rose granite obelisks into her architectural tribute to Julius Caesar. They were transported to Alexandria from Heliopolis (Greek: Ἡλιούπολις, Helioupolis, "City of the Sun"), principal cult city in Ancient Egypt for native Egyptian gods Ra and Atum, modernly located in the Ain Shams (Arabic: عين شمس, "Eye of the Sun"; Coptic: ⲱⲛ ⲡⲉⲧ ⲫⲣⲏ[) district of Cairo's Eastern Area. The nearly 200-ton obelisks, standing 60 meters apart, framed the grand entrance to the Caesareum, according to British Egyptologist Joann Fletcher (born Aug. 30, 1966) in Cleopatra the Great (Part Four, Chapter 8 Death and Resurrection: Osiris Avenged, page 216), published in 2011.

Both obelisks remained standing until possibly the early 14th century. "One of them fell down, probably during the earthquake which took place in 1301, while the Nile cast its boats a bowshot on the land and the walls of Alexandria were thrown down," according to Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (July 27, 1857-Nov. 23, 1934), Keeper of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities at the British Museum, in Cleopatra's Needles and Other Egyptian Obelisks (Chapter VI The Obelisk of Thothmes III at Constantinople, pages 166-167), published in 1926.

The felled obelisk remained horizontal for approximately 574 years. "The obelisk lay where it fell until Mr. John Dixon removed it to London at the expense of Sir Erasmus Wilson," Sir Ernest noted (page 167).

upright obelisk (center) destined for New York, horizontally felled obelisk (lower center) destined for London; "Cleopatra's Needle," by Scottish painter David Roberts (Oct. 24, 1796-Nov. 25, 1864); "London Published May 15th, 1856, by Day & Son, Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields"; David Roberts, The Holy Land: Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia, vol. 3 [1856/], Plate 146: Not in copyright, via Biodiversity Heritage Library

The first plan for removal of one of the obelisks from Alexandria to London dates back to 1801, after the British victory over Napoleon Bonaparte's (born Napoleone Buonaparte; Aug. 15, 1769-May 5, 1821) French First Republic (Sep. 21, 1792-May 18, 1804) Army in the Battle of Alexandria, fought on March 21, 1801, according to U.S. naval officer Henry H. (Honychurch) Gorringe (Aug. 11, 1841-July 7, 1885) in Egyptian Obelisks (Cleopatra's Needles and Other Egyptian Obelisks, Chapter IV Removal of the Fallen Obelisk of Alexandria to London, pages 96-97), published in 1882, and Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (Chapter II How Cleopatra's Needle Came to London, pages 54-59). Richard Ford William Lambart, 7th Earl of Cavan (Sep. 10, 1763-Nov. 21, 1837), Head of the British Army in Egypt, "entered into the project warmly," (Gorringe, page 96) seeking "to send the fallen obelisk to England as a trophy which would commemorate Nelson's victory at the Battle of Abukir (August 1, 1798) and Abercromby's victory at the Battle of Alexandria" (Budge, page 54). Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (Sep. 29, 1758 [O.S. Sep. 17]-Oct. 21, 1805) decisively had defeated Napoleon Bonaparte's naval fleet in the Battle of Aboukir Bay, also known as the Battle of the Nile, which took place east of Alexandria from Aug. 1 to Aug. 3, 1798. The decisive defeat of the French by the British under Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby (Oct. 7, 1734-March 28, 1801), who died from a musket-ball embedded in his thigh, critically led to the siege of Alexandria (Aug. 17-Sep. 2, 1801), which ended Napoleon's French campaign in Egypt and Syria (July 1, 1798-Sep. 2, 1801).

Unfortunately, as Lord Cavan's superiors, George Keith Elphinstone, 1st Viscount Keith (Jan. 7, 1746-March 10,1823), General John Hely-Hutchinson, 2nd Earl of Donoughmore (May 15, 1757 -June 29, 1832), and General Henry Edward Fox (March 4, 1755-July 18, 1811) ordered the abandonment of the obelisk removal project (Budge, pages 57, 59). Sources have provided "often vague, confused, or contradictory" accounts for the abandonment order, according to English archaeologist and Egyptologist Chris Elliott in Needles From the Nile: Obelisks and the Past as Property (Chapter 2 The Needles in Egypt, page 51), published in 2022. Also, the British presence in Egypt was designed as expeditionary, not occupying (Elliott, page 51; Gorringe, page 97). A pier that had been built to support the obelisk's introduction into its transporting vessel's stern was washed away during a gale, "and, as the army moved off shortly afterward, the project had to be abandoned" (Gorringe, page 97).

Subsequent intentions for transporting the obelisk to London were expressed yet abandoned in 1820 by Samuel Briggs (1776–1868), British Consul at Alexandria, and between 1832 and 1851 by Joseph Hume (Jan. 22, 1777-Feb. 20, 1855), Scottish physician and Radical Party leader.

During a visit to Paris in 1867, a visit to the Luxor Obelisk, which had been installed in Place de la Concorde in Paris in 1836, inspired Scottish writer and British Army commander Sir James Edward Alexander (Oct. 16, 1803-April 2, 1885) to seek the obelisk's placement in London. In 1875 he received necessary permission from Isma'il Pasha (Arabic: إسماعيل باشا Ismā‘īl Bāshā; Jan. 12, 1830-March 2, 1895), Khedive of Egypt (Jan. 19, 1863-June 26, 1879), for the obelisk's transfer (Gorringe, page 98). In 1876, Sir William James Erasmus Wilson (Nov. 25, 1809-Aug. 7, 1884), English surgeon and dermatologist, committed to covering the costs of relocating the obelisk to London (Budge, pages 65-66).

The obelisk's journey to its new setting in London began Friday, Sep. 21, 1877 (Gorringe, page 104). After rounding Cape St. Vincent, southern Portugal, steamer Olga and its tow, the cylinder ship Cleopatra that encased the obelisk, encountered a south-southwest gale on Sunday, Oct. 14, that separated the two vessels. The Olga arrived in Falmouth, southern coastal Cornwall, South West England, on Wednesday, Oct. 17. The Cleopatra, towed by tug Anglia, reached London Sunday, Jan. 20, 1878 (Budge, pages 68-70; Gorringe, pages 104-105).

The obelisk's journey ended at the Victoria Embankment, between the Golden Jubilee Bridges and the Waterloo Bridge, on the north bank of the River Thames, in central Greater London's City of Westminster. After a successful preliminary trial on Wednesday, Sep. 11, the obelisk's installation was scheduled for the next day, Thursday, Sep. 12, 1878, at 3:00 p.m. (Gorringe, pages 105-106).

"An inopportune shower coming on suddenly early in the afternoon somewhat thinned out the crowd that had begun to assemble; but the sun reappeared, and, under the pleasant auspices of a clearing sky, a vast concourse lined the river front. At the appointed hour the controlling tackles were handled, and in half an hour the obelisk was vertical. The Union Jack and Turkish flag were run up in token of success, and ringing cheers bespoke the congratulations of the multitude," reported Gorringe (pages 106-107).

The installation was completed the next day, Friday, Sep. 13. "The operation of lowering the monument to the pedestal was deferred until the following day, and was then performed with complete success" (Gorringe, page 107).

"Cleopatra's Needle" by English maritime artist William Lionel Wyllie (July 5, 1851-April 6, 1931); one of six in Father Thames, Series I, first use 5/10/1906: Public Domain, via TuckDB Postcards

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, image of Cleopatra's Needle, Victoria Embankment between Golden Jubilee Bridges and Waterloo Bridge, North Bank of River Thames, City of Westminster, central Greater London, South of England; London -- Cleopatra's Needle by Chris Talbot, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_-_Cleopatra's_Needle_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3514837.jpg; Chris Talbor, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Geograph Britain and Ireland @ https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3514837

upright obelisk (center) destined for New York, horizontally felled obelisk (lower center) destined for London; "Cleopatra's Needle," by Scottish painter David Roberts (Oct. 24, 1796-Nov. 25, 1864); "London Published May 15th, 1856, by Day & Son, Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields"; David Roberts, The Holy Land: Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt & Nubia, vol. 3 [1856/], Plate 146: Not in copyright, via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/57712169

"Cleopatra's Needle" by English maritime artist William Lionel Wyllie (July 5, 1851-April 6, 1931); one of six in Father Thames, Series I, first use 5/10/1906: Public Domain, via TuckDB Postcards @ https://tuckdbpostcards.org/items/86112; Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cleopatra%27s_Needle_(NBY_442716).jpg

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