Four Egyptian obelisks re-erected in Rome by Pope Sixtus V. Engraving, ca. 1590.

Left (A), the Flaminio obelisk, carved with hieroglyphs, erected in the Piazza del Popolo in 1589 with the inscription on its base "Imp. Caesar divi f. Augustus pontifex maximus imp. XII cos XI trib pot XIV Aegypto in potestatem populi romani redacta soli donum dedit". Second from left (B), the Vatican obelisk, outside Saint Peter's Basilica, lacking hieroglyphs, resting on bronze lions. Second from right (C), the Esquiline obelisk, which was re-erected outside the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in 1587, lacking hieroglyphs, with base inscribed "Chrixtus per invictam crucem populo pacem praebeat qui Augusti pace in praesepe nasci voluit". Right (D), the Lateran obelisk, outside the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, which is the tallest of the four, has Egyptian hieroglyphs carved on it, and has a base inscribed with a text recording the baptism of Constantine. Left foreground, a fountain