stele

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stele

stele , slab of stone or terra-cotta, usually oblong, set up in a vertical position, for votive or memorial purposes. Upon the slabs were carved inscriptions accompanied by ornamental designs or reliefs of particular significance. Stelae were often used as commemorative stones in ancient Egypt and as boundary markers in Mesopotamia. The marble funerary stelae of Greece, especially of Athens, are among the most beautiful monuments of classical art. Likenesses of the dead were sculptured in relief and painted upon them. Stelae of great age are found in China and among the ruins of the Mayan culture in Mexico and Central America.

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stele

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

stele sculptured upright slab. XIX. — Gr. stḗlē.
So stela XVIII — L. — Gr.

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T. F. HOAD. "stele." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2010 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "stele." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2010). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-stele.html

T. F. HOAD. "stele." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2010 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-stele.html

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