Egyptologist Discovers Historic Inscriptions on 3,000-Year-Old Obelisk
A French Egyptologist has provided fresh insight into a significant piece of history located in the heart of Paris. The obelisk at Place de Concorde, a present from the Ottoman Egyptians in 1836, was initially commissioned for the Luxor Temple during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II. This 3,000-year-old artifact, embellished with hieroglyphics, has recently attracted scholarly attention due to the concealed messages it contains.
Jean-Guillaume Olette-Pelletier, an experienced Egyptologist, has dedicated years to studying the obelisk and recently made an important discovery concerning its inscriptions. Amid the standard hieroglyphic narrative, Olette-Pelletier detected several crypto-hieroglyphs—an obscure form of writing that employs puzzles and wordplay, understood by only a few select scholars. Initially noticed through binoculars, the validation of these crypto-hieroglyphs occurred during restoration efforts for the 2024 Paris Olympics when Olette-Pelletier was given a chance to examine it closely, making him the first researcher in over a century to study the obelisk at such proximity.
The following deciphering activities uncovered seven crypto-hieroglyphs intricately embedded in the obelisk’s surface. One of these symbols is designed to enhance Ramesses II’s status by linking his lineage to divine beings, a tactical political strategy presented as a grand proclamation to the elite who attended the annual Opet festival. This discovery redefines the obelisk as not only a religious monument but also as a vehicle for political propaganda employed by Ramesses to elevate his position among his peers.
Olette-Pelletier is in the process of publishing his comprehensive findings in the journal ENiM. He notes that hieroglyphic cryptography paves the way for new interpretations of Pharaonic texts, highlighting the unexploited potential within Egyptology for forthcoming discoveries. The interpretation of these concealed messages indeed mirrors the lasting fascination with ancient texts and the continually shifting narrative of human history.