The Monument That Swapped Heads Like Outfits

The Obélisque d'Arles stands in the center of the Place de la République in front of the Hôtel de Ville. This Roman monument was carved from granite in Asia Minor during the 4th century. It does not feature any inscription. It stands approximately 15 metres tall on its pedestal without saying a word.

It spent its first life in the center of the spina of the Roman circus of Arles. In the 6th century, after the circus was abandoned, the obelisk fell down and was broken in two parts. It lay there until it was rediscovered in the 14th century and re-erected on top of a pedestal. On 26 March 1676, ornaments designed by Jacques Peytret - a bronze globe and sun - were placed on top.

The top of the monument became a revolving door for every new regime. The sun was swapped for a Phrygian cap during the Revolution. An eagle appeared under the Empire, followed by a royal sun taking the place of a rooster hunting the eagle under Louis-Philippe. The city finally stripped the ornaments away in 1866 and replaced them with a bronze capstone.

It is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. It stands as a sturdy reminder of how much humans love to rearrange things.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons