Talk:King Ezana's Stele

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Stela/stele

Latest comment: 3 years ago2 comments2 people in discussion

It's fine to use either spelling, but the plural stelae only works if you're using -a. The other one is Greek and just turns into pedestrian steles. Tmyk. — $Llywelyn II$ 14:09, 22 November 2013 (UTC)Reply

Point taken, but since this is the English (rather than the Greek, or Spanish or Welsh) Wikipedia, I've moved the article to the common English name of King Ezana's Stele.^[1]^[2]^[3] --Bushel C andle 06:24, 26 April 2021 (UTC)Reply

Stele is frequently pluralized irregularly as stelae, which is also used as a plural form of the more Latinized singular form stela. The anglicized Greek plural stelai has been used since the late 19th century but is less common than steles.
stele (n.) "upright slab," usually inscribed, 1820, from Greek stēlē "standing block, slab," especially one bearing an inscription, such as a gravestone, from PIE *stal-na-, suffixed form of root *stel- "to put, stand, put in order," with derivatives referring to a standing object or place. Related: Stelar.

References

^ "Aksumite Stelae: true treasures of human craftsmanship". Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology. Simon Fraser University. Retrieved 26 April 2021. The Great Stele, the Stele of Aksum, and Ezana's Stele have received great attention due to their height, weight, carvings, and significant historical value. They were positioned on the gently sloping ground of the Central Stele Park and were to be admired from the downslope part of the then relatively young centre of Aksum. This forced the inhabitants and visitors to literally look up to the monuments.
^ "Quick Guide to Axum's Stelae". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 26 April 2021. The three largest and most famous stelae (King Ezana's Stele, Great Stele and Rome Stele) are found here. Lying like a broken soldier, the massive 33m Great Stele or Stele 1, also known locally as King Ramhai's Stele, is believed to be the largest single block of stone that humans have ever attempted to erect, and overshadows even the Egyptian obelisks in its conception and ambition. Scholars theorise that it fell during its erection sometime early in the 4th century. Comparing the unworked 'root' (only 2.7m long) with the sleek, carved base and the intricate walia ibex carvings near its top gives you a vivid idea of the precision, finesse and technical competence of Aksum's stone workers. As it toppled it collided with the massive 360-tonne stone sheltering the central chamber of Nefas Mawcha's tomb. This shattered the upper portion of the stele and collapsed the tomb's central chamber, scattering the massive roof supports like toothpicks. Seeing that no other stele was ever raised here, it seems likely that the collapse sounded the death knell on the long tradition of obelisk erection in Aksum. Some scholars have even suggested that the disaster may have actually contributed to the people's conversion to Christianity. More controversially, some propose it may have been sabotaged deliberately to feign a sign of God. Whatever the origin of its downfall, the stele remains exactly where it tumbled 1600 years ago, a permanent reminder of the defeat of paganism by Christianity.
^ "King Ezana's Stele". Ethiopia Tourist Information. Retrieved 26 April 2021. King Ezana's Stele is the central obelisk still standing in the Northern Stelae Park (containing hundreds of smaller and less decorated stelae) in the ancient city of Axum, in modern-day Ethiopia. This stele is probably the last erected one and the biggest of those remained unbroken. King Ezana's Stele stands 70 feet (21 m) tall, smaller than the fallen 108-foot (33 m) Great Stele and the better-known 79-foot (24 m), so-called, Obelisk of Axum (reassembled and unveiled on September 4, 2008). At its base, it is decorated with a false door, and apertures resembling windows on all sides.

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[1] "Aksumite Stelae: true treasures of human craftsmanship". Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology. Simon Fraser University. Retrieved 26 April 2021. The Great Stele, the Stele of Aksum, and Ezana's Stele have received great attention due to their height, weight, carvings, and significant historical value. They were positioned on the gently sloping ground of the Central Stele Park and were to be admired from the downslope part of the then relatively young centre of Aksum. This forced the inhabitants and visitors to literally look up to the monuments.

[2] "Quick Guide to Axum's Stelae". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 26 April 2021. The three largest and most famous stelae (King Ezana's Stele, Great Stele and Rome Stele) are found here. Lying like a broken soldier, the massive 33m Great Stele or Stele 1, also known locally as King Ramhai's Stele, is believed to be the largest single block of stone that humans have ever attempted to erect, and overshadows even the Egyptian obelisks in its conception and ambition. Scholars theorise that it fell during its erection sometime early in the 4th century. Comparing the unworked 'root' (only 2.7m long) with the sleek, carved base and the intricate walia ibex carvings near its top gives you a vivid idea of the precision, finesse and technical competence of Aksum's stone workers. As it toppled it collided with the massive 360-tonne stone sheltering the central chamber of Nefas Mawcha's tomb. This shattered the upper portion of the stele and collapsed the tomb's central chamber, scattering the massive roof supports like toothpicks. Seeing that no other stele was ever raised here, it seems likely that the collapse sounded the death knell on the long tradition of obelisk erection in Aksum. Some scholars have even suggested that the disaster may have actually contributed to the people's conversion to Christianity. More controversially, some propose it may have been sabotaged deliberately to feign a sign of God. Whatever the origin of its downfall, the stele remains exactly where it tumbled 1600 years ago, a permanent reminder of the defeat of paganism by Christianity.

[3] "King Ezana's Stele". Ethiopia Tourist Information. Retrieved 26 April 2021. King Ezana's Stele is the central obelisk still standing in the Northern Stelae Park (containing hundreds of smaller and less decorated stelae) in the ancient city of Axum, in modern-day Ethiopia. This stele is probably the last erected one and the biggest of those remained unbroken. King Ezana's Stele stands 70 feet (21 m) tall, smaller than the fallen 108-foot (33 m) Great Stele and the better-known 79-foot (24 m), so-called, Obelisk of Axum (reassembled and unveiled on September 4, 2008). At its base, it is decorated with a false door, and apertures resembling windows on all sides.

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