Pompey's Pillar: The Largest Roman Monolith in Egypt
Pompey's Pillar, despite its misleading name, is one of the most iconic monuments of Alexandria in Egypt and the largest Roman honorary column erected outside the imperial capitals of Rome and Constantinople. With its 26.85 metres of overall height and a monolithic shaft of red Aswan granite weighing about 285 tonnes, this column dominates the panorama of the Karmouz district and represents one of the last monumental witnesses of the grandeur of Roman Alexandria.
Erected in 297 AD on the hill where the majestic temple of Serapis once stood, the column was dedicated to the emperor Diocletian as a sign of gratitude for having put an end to the siege of the city and having distributed grain to the famished population. The popular name "Pompey's Pillar" is the fruit of a medieval misunderstanding by the crusaders who, arriving in Alexandria, erroneously attributed the monument to the Roman general Pompey, defeated and killed in Egypt in 48 BC.
History and Context
The Serapeum: The Lost Temple
To understand Pompey's Pillar it is necessary to know the context in which it was erected. The hill on which it stands was once occupied by the Serapeum, the great temple dedicated to the god Serapis, a syncretic divinity created by the Ptolemies to unite the Egyptian and Greek religious traditions. The Serapeum was one of the most important religious complexes of antiquity, comparable in magnificence to the Parthenon of Athens.
The original temple was built under Ptolemy III in the 3rd century BC and subsequently enlarged and embellished by the Romans. It contained a colossal statue of Serapis in wood, ivory and precious metals, and housed what is known as the "daughter library" of the Great Library of Alexandria, a secondary collection of about 42,800 papyrus scrolls destined for public use.
The Destruction and the Erection of the Column
The Serapeum was destroyed in 391 AD by order of the emperor Theodosius I, in the context of his policy of suppression of the pagan cults. The destruction was carried out by the Christian patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria and symbolically marked the end of the pagan era in the city. Of the original structure little survived the iconoclastic fury.
Pompey's Pillar, erected almost a century before the destruction of the temple, was probably spared because it was dedicated to an emperor and not to a pagan divinity. Its survival makes it today the most important surviving architectural element of the ancient complex of the Serapeum.
The Dedicatory Inscription
At the base of the column is engraved an inscription in Greek that reads: "To Diocletian, the most just of emperors, patron of Alexandria, Postumus, prefect of Egypt, has dedicated this column." This inscription has allowed the precise dating of the monument and the definitive disproving of the attribution to Pompey, an error that nevertheless has remained rooted in the toponymy and in the popular tradition.
Architectural Features
The Monolithic Shaft
The shaft of the column is a single block of red granite coming from the quarries of Aswan, in Upper Egypt. The transport of this monolith of about 285 tonnes for over 900 kilometres along the Nile and then up to Alexandria represents in itself a remarkable engineering feat. The shaft measures about 20.75 metres in height and has a diameter at the base of about 2.71 metres, tapering slightly towards the top.
The surface of the granite, polished with extreme care, still preserves its reddish lustre despite almost two millennia of exposure to atmospheric agents. The natural veining of the stone creates plays of light that change with the angle of the sun, conferring on the column a different aspect at every hour of the day.
The Capital and the Base
The Corinthian capital that crowns the column is sculpted in the same block of granite as the shaft, a technical detail that adds further complexity to the realisation. The acanthus leaves of the capital, although eroded by time, are still recognisable and testify to the ability of the stonemasons.
The base of the column rests on a pedestal composed of blocks of granite and limestone coming in part from the temple of Serapis, a detail that symbolises the continuity between the old and the new. Two sphinxes in pink granite of the Ptolemaic period, found during the archaeological excavations, have been positioned at the sides of the base, adding a touch of Egyptian mystery to the Roman monument.
The Underground Galleries
Under and around the hill of the column extends a system of underground galleries that were part of the complex of the Serapeum. These galleries, partially explorable, contained the niches for the burial of the sacred Apis bulls, whose cult had been integrated into the veneration of Serapis. The niches, carved into the rock, still preserve traces of the original decorations.
The galleries also served as processional routes for the priests of the temple, who used hidden passages to create scenic effects during the religious ceremonies, such as the alleged miraculous "apparition" of the statue of the god.
Explorations and Studies
The First Descriptions
The column has been described by numerous travellers in the course of the centuries. The medieval crusaders identified it erroneously as the place of burial of Pompey, a legend that spread rapidly throughout Europe. The Arab traveller al-Idrisi in the 12th century provided an accurate description of it, and the French diplomat Benoît de Maillet in the 18th century measured its dimensions for the first time with scientific methods.
The Archaeological Excavations
The systematic excavations of the area began in the 19th century and continued throughout the 20th century. The most significant discoveries include the foundations of the temple of Serapis, the underground galleries with the niches of the Apis bulls, fragments of the marble covering of the temple and votive statues. The nilometer associated with the temple, used to measure the level of the floods of the Nile, has been partially restored.
The Archaeological Area
The Archaeological Park
The area surrounding the column has been transformed into an archaeological park that allows the exploration of the ruins of the Serapeum. Blocks of granite and architectural fragments scattered on the ground give an idea of the dimensions of the original temple. The two Ptolemaic sphinxes, one in red granite and one in grey granite, are among the most photographed pieces of the site.
The park also offers a panoramic view of Alexandria, with the minaret of the mosque of Abu el-Abbas visible in the distance and the Mediterranean that forms the background. At sunset, when the grazing light enhances the red colour of the granite, the column assumes a particularly photogenic aspect.
Tips for the Visit
How to Get There
Pompey's Pillar is found in the Karmouz district, to the south-west of the centre of Alexandria. It is reachable by taxi or with the city tram. The nearest stop is about ten minutes on foot. The Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa are found a few minutes' walk away and the combination of the two visits is strongly recommended.
Duration and Period
The visit of the archaeological area requires about an hour. The site is outdoors, therefore it is advisable to visit it in the morning hours to avoid the intense heat of midday, especially in the summer months. The best period is from October to April, when the temperatures are milder.
Photographic Suggestions
The best moment to photograph the column is in the early morning or in the late afternoon, when the warm light enhances the reddish colour of the granite. The angle from the bottom upwards emphasises the imposingness of the monument and creates a dramatic contrast with the sky. Do not forget to photograph also the sphinxes and the entrance of the underground galleries.
Combining the Visits
After Pompey's Pillar, visit the nearby Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, just 500 metres away. Complete the day with the National Museum of Alexandria to admire the finds discovered in the area of the Serapeum and to better understand the millenary history of this extraordinary city.
Pompey's Pillar, in its solitary splendour, is a monument to the resilience of history. Having survived the destruction of the temple that surrounded it, the earthquakes, the wars and the centuries, it continues to rise on the hill of Alexandria like a beacon of memory, connecting the present to the grandeur of Roman Egypt.
