Egyptologist in Paris Discovers Secret Messages on the Luxor Obelisk

In 1830, the viceroy of Egypt gifted France a 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk—a carved chromatic pillar with a pyramidal top. In 1836, the obelisk recovered its location successful Paris, successful Place de la Concorde. One would deliberation that aft lasting successful the halfway of the French superior for astir 200 years, Parisian Egyptologists would person learned each determination is to observe astir the past monument. But it turns retired the celebrated obelisk inactive has its secrets.

Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier, an Egyptologist and cryptologist from the Catholic University of Paris, claims to person discovered 7 antecedently undocumented messages carved into the 13th-century BCE Luxor Obelisk. Altogether, the inscriptions were intended to found Pharaoh Ramses II’s divine authorization successful the eyes of the past Egyptian elite. The find and its mentation were archetypal reported by French media, and the researcher aims to further item his findings successful a insubstantial forthcoming successful the diary ENiM (Egypt of the Nile and Mediterranean).

Olette-Pelletier identified the inscriptions successful December 2021, erstwhile the obelisk was surrounded by renovation scaffolding. The scaffolding allowed Olette-Pelletier to observe the monument’s highest inscriptions, adjacent to its aureate pyramid-shaped top. According to EuroWeekly, it was erstwhile Olette-Pelletier attempted to work the hieroglyphs horizontally, alternatively than vertically, that helium began to spot antecedently unidentified inscriptions.

Some (perhaps all) of the caller messages were hidden successful the hieroglyphs themselves, a method known arsenic “crypto-hieroglyphs” utilized by the past Egyptian elite that contiguous lone six Egyptologists successful the satellite are capable to interpret, according to La Brújula Verde.

“People had not noticed that nether [one of the drawings] of the deity Amun, determination is an offering table. This allows america to observe a condemnation wherever nary constituent is missing: an offering that the king gives to the deity Amun,” Olette-Pelletier told BFMTV. Combinations of the recently identified inscriptions nutrient further meanings successful what’s called three-dimensional cryptography. In total, the Egyptologist identified 7 encrypted messages crossed the obelisk’s assorted facades. He explained that the enigmatic substance tin lone beryllium understood by walking astir the monument.

Additionally, the messages successful question tin lone beryllium seen from a circumstantial angle. In particular, erstwhile the obelisk stood astatine the entranceway of Egypt’s Luxor Temple, 1 of the messages would person been disposable to vessels sailing connected the Nile, according to EuroWeekly. This suggests that the message, exalting Pharaoh Ramses II’s divine power, was intended for elite individuals arriving by boat. Another inscription encourages viewers to marque divine offerings to appease the gods’ anger.

Overall, the concealed inscriptions item Ramses II’s power, victories, longevity, and his appeasement of the gods done word-play from well-known papyrus texts. “These messages are a signifier of propaganda successful favour of the builder of the site: Pharaoh Ramses II,” Olette-Pelletier told Le Point. He argues that Ramses II wanted to further legitimize his divine assertion to powerfulness successful the eyes of the noble class, arsenic reported by EuroWeekly.

Ramses II ruled from 1279 to 1213 BCE and is 1 of past Egypt’s astir celebrated pharaohs. The Luxor Obelisk successful Paris is 1 of 2 that helium erected astatine the entranceway of what contiguous is known arsenic the Luxor Temple—the 2nd obelisk remains successful Egypt.

Ultimately, Olette-Pelletier’s find highlights that adjacent the astir acquainted past monuments inactive clasp secrets near for america to unravel.