Sallustian Obelisk

A 13.9-metre red granite obelisk dating to the 2nd or 3rd century AD — and crucially, a Roman-made imitation of an Egyptian obelisk, not a genuine Egyptian import. It originally stood in the Gardens of Sallust on the Pincian Hill, and the hieroglyphic inscriptions were carved later in Rome (copying texts from the Flaminio Obelisk in Piazza del Popolo). Re-erected at the top of the Spanish Steps in 1789 by Pope Pius VI to anchor the church facade above.