Standing in Piazza Papiniano near the Arco di Traiano, this Egyptian obelisk was brought to Benevento by the emperor Domitian (81–96 AD) for his sanctuary of Isis, along with a large quantity of other Egyptianising statuary now in the Museo del Sannio. The obelisk is covered in hieroglyphs, cut by Egyptian craftsmen either in Egypt or in Rome, honouring Domitian in his role as an Egyptian pharaoh.
Several obelisks survive from Domitian's widespread Isis cult installations — one stands outside the Pantheon in Rome, another is the source for Bernini's elephant fountain near Santa Maria sopra Minerva. The Benevento obelisk is smaller but in good condition, and combined with the arch nearby it makes for an unusually rich concentration of imperial Roman monuments in a single city block.