The 'Pinciano' Obelisk

Map
The 'Pinciano' Obelisk, Pincian Hill, Rome
The 'Pinciano' Obelisk
The obelisk (9.25 m) on the Pincian Hill (Monte Pincio) was commissioned by the emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138) to mark the death of his young friend and favoured companion Antinous (c. 111-130), who, in the October of 130, drowned in the river Nile under rather mysterious circumstances (accident, suicide, human sacrifice?).

The death of Antinous devastated Hadrian, who immediately had the youth deified. Hadrian also announced that a city would be built on the site of his death, to be called Antinoöpolis. The obelisk was first erected at Hadrian's villa at Tivoli. In the third century it was moved to the Circus Varianus, which lay in the northern part of Rome. Many centuries later the obelisk was unearthed near the Porta Maggiore. After passing through several hands, it was finally acquired by Pope Clement XIV (r. 1769-1771), who had it set up in the Vatican. In 1822 it was moved to its present position by order of Pope Pius VII (r. 1800-1823), whose coat of arms adorns the pedestal.

Little is known about Antinous's life, but we do know that he was born in Claudiopolis (present day Bolu, Turkey) in the Roman province of Bithynia around the year 111. He was probably introduced to Hadrian in 123 and by 128 he had become the emperor's favourite,  becoming part of his personal retinue on a tour of the empire. We might not know much about the life of Antinous, but we certainly know what he looked like from the numerous statues of him that have survived. ​​ 

There are three inscriptions on the pedestal. The two short inscriptions read: SACRI / PRINCIPATVS / EIVS /ANNO XXIII (The 23rd year of his sacred pontificate) and XI KAL / SEPTEMB / ANNO MDCCC / XXII (The 11th day before the Kalends of September 1822). 
Latin inscription on the base of the 'Pinciano' Obelisk, Rome
Main Inscription
The longer inscription reads: PIVS · VII · PONT · MAX · / OBELISCVM · AVRELIANVM / QVI · VNVS · SVPERERAT / TEMPORVM · INIVRIA · DIFFRACTVM / DIVQVE · OBLITVM / IN · PRISTINAM · FACIEM · RESTITVI / ATQVE · HOC · IN · LOCO · ERIGI · IVSSIT / VT · AMOENA · PINCII · SPATIA / CIVIBUS · AD · APRICANDVM · APERTA / EXIMII · GENERIS · MONVMENTO / DECORARET (Pius VII, Pontifex Maximus, ordered the Aurelian obelisk, which survived the ravages of Time, broken in pieces and long forgotten, to be erected in the Pincio and returned to its ancient form, so that it could decorate the sunny spaces, so much appreciated by the citizens). ​