Mr. Somers Clarke points out that, if the obelisk came down on to its pedestal supported on one edge, that the strain would crush the granite. It seems that the slot in the pedestal served a double purpose, one to keep the obelisk from twisting, and the other to ensure that the weight {41} is taken on the edge of the slot and not on the edge of the obelisk (see fig. 8). Let us assume that the edge of the slot crushes until there is 2 inches of supporting surface; then since the obelisk is about 165 inches along its base, the bearing surface will be 330 square inches and the resulting crushing stress about 3 ½ tons per square inch, which is not so very excessive. By putting moderately soft wood in the slot, the weight could be borne both by the edge of the obelisk and the edge of the slot, thus further reducing the stress set up. In the case of the standing obelisk of Ḥatshepsôwet, it has come down without engaging in the slot, with the result that the corners have crushed considerably. Figure 8 shews the position of this obelisk as it now stands on its pedestal, the position taken up being C⁠D⁠E⁠F instead of C′⁠D′⁠E′⁠F′. The corners E and F have split badly owing to the great weight and have been rounded to cover up the defect. In this case the inner side of the slot, A⁠B, as far as can now be seen, is still sharp. In all the other pedestals I have examined, where the obelisks have apparently come down so as to bear on the inner edge of the slot, the edge is very distinctly crushed. [Illustration: Fig. 8. Position of Ḥatshepsôwet’s obelisk on its pedestal.] (41) Before the obelisk was pulled upright, the space in front of the obelisk, and between it and the wall B, might well be filled up with _halfa_ and reeds, to make a kind of cushion, and to damp any tendency to rock backwards and forwards. The notch would prevent any twist before it engaged with the reed cushion. If the obelisk twisted, it was because the reed cushion was not sufficiently tightly packed, the twist taking place after it had rocked over to its further edge. If the obelisk was on a sledge, I should think that it was removed before introducing it into the mouth of the funnel; the removal of the rollers would be automatic. The raising of the obelisk without the aid of an embankment is proposed by Choisy in _L’Art de bâtir chez les Égyptiens_. He assumes that the obelisk was raised by a series of levers used horizontally on a fulcrum, and that it was heaved up simultaneously from both sides and packed from below after each heave, the obelisk and levers rising together till the obelisk was sufficiently high to lower on to the pedestal (cf. section 50 and fig. 11).