
Cleopatra's Needles
Constant Wonder - Season 2022, Episode 1007 , Segment
1
Obelisks (originally aired November 24, 2020)
Episode: Obelisks (originally aired November 24, 2020)
- May 18, 2021 6:00 pm
- 26:43
Bob Brier, affectionately known as Mr. Mummy, explains how France’s obsession with Egyptian history set off obelisk mania in Paris, London, and New York City. Obelisks had been painstakingly hand-hewn with stone tools and then, in the 1800s, shipped abroad at great cost and sacrifice—one was nearly lost at sea in a hurricane. We find out what drove the obsession. Guest: Bob Brier, Senior Research Fellow at Long Island University and author of "Cleopatra’s Needles: The Lost Obelisks of Egypt"