stele
Sign in to savethumb|260px|Stele N from Copán, [[Honduras, depicting King K'ac Yipyaj Chan K'awiil ("Smoke Shell"), as drawn by Frederick Catherwood in 1839]] thumb|Stele to the French 8th Infantry Regiment. Commons:Category:Battle of Waterloo steles|One of more than half a dozen steles located on the Waterloo battlefield. A stele ( ) or stela ( ) is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected in the ancient world as a monument. The surface of the stele often has text, ornamentation, or both. These may be inscribed, carved in relief, or painted.
AI overview
A stele is a tall stone or wooden slab that was erected as a monument in the ancient world, often featuring text, decorations, or both on its surface. Steles matter because they preserve important historical information and images—such as depictions of rulers and commemorations of significant events—that help us understand past civilizations.
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Article
16 sectionsContents
- History
- Egypt
- Urartu
- Greece
- China
- Maya stelae
- Cambodia
- Ireland
- Horn of Africa
- Notable steles
- Gallery
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
thumb|260px|Stele N from Copán, [[Honduras, depicting King K'ac Yipyaj Chan K'awiil ("Smoke Shell"), as drawn by Frederick Catherwood in 1839]] thumb|Stele to the French 8th Infantry Regiment. Commons:Category:Battle of Waterloo steles|One of more than half a dozen steles located on the Waterloo battlefield. A stele ( ) or stela ( ) is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected in the ancient world as a monument. The surface of the stele often has text, ornamentation, or both. These may be inscribed, carved in relief, or painted.
Stelae were created for many reasons. Grave stelae were used for funerary or commemorative purposes. Stelae as slabs of stone would also be used as ancient Greek and Roman government notices or as boundary markers to mark borders or property lines. Stelae were occasionally erected as memorials to battles. For example, along with other memorials, there are more than half-a-dozen steles erected on the battlefield of Waterloo at the locations of notable actions by participants in battle.