Why Is There a 3,500-Year-Old Egyptian Obelisk in London? #history #ancientegypt #london

Añadido: 2026-06-07

[00:00:01]So, I was just cycling in the early morning hours in London, and I thought I'd show you guys a piece of ancient Egyptian history that you don't need to go to the British Museum for.

[00:00:12]So, it was erected 3,500 years ago, but obviously not in London.

[00:00:17]It was commissioned by Thutmose the Third in 1450 BC.

[00:00:21]Um, >> [music] >> and it's made of red granite from Heliopolis.

[00:00:25]And in 12 BC, Augustus had it moved from Heliopolis to the city of Alexandria. [music] And then in 1890, Egypt offers to sell it to England um, as a thank you for Britain defeating Napoleon's forces in Egypt. [music] But the the British say, "I'm not paying for that [music] to come here."

[00:00:48]And so, it wasn't until a dermatologist, of all people, [music] offered to pay out of his own pocket to have it transported to London.

[00:00:57]And actually during transport, it was lost in a storm, um, in the Bay of Biscay, in which a number of French sailors died uh trying to retrieve it. So, in 1878, it eventually lands right here along the River Thames in London, thanks to a dermatologist.

[00:01:13]Um, but let me tell you something [music] interesting about the Sphinx that guard it, because you might have noticed that there's something wrong.

[00:01:21]Technically, the Sphinxes are facing opposite way.

[00:01:25]So, in the ancient Egypt, >> [music] >> Egypt still, Sphinxes are portrayed outwards as as if they're protecting whatever they're sitting next to or laying next to.

[00:01:34]But here, they're facing inwards, towards the obelisk itself.

[00:01:38]>> [music] >> So, a bit of a blunder there.

[00:01:41]And my paid part-time intern [music] just showed up. We have an Egyptian goose here, actually, sitting on this little thing.

[00:01:50]Um, he's late cuz I've already done out all the videos and the info, so I don't know if I'll be paying him today, but nice little Gibson Goose [music] right next to the uh Egyptian Obelisk.