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43-592: The Rhodes Memorial is a large monument in the style of an ancient Greek temple on Devil's Peak in Cape Town , South Africa , situated close to Table Mountain . It is a memorial to the English -born South African politician Cecil John Rhodes (1853 – 1902), was designed by architect Herbert Baker and finished in 1912. Rhodes was a mining magnate , founder of the monopolistic De Beers diamond company, influential politician and later prime minister (1890 to 1896) of

86-617: A location for filming. For safety reasons, the area is closed from sunset to sunrise. Not far below the memorial are the University of Cape Town (UCT), Groote Schuur Hospital and Mostert's Mill . Above the memorial is the King's Blockhouse, and not far away is the Groote Schuur Zoo site, originally established as Rhodes's private zoo. The zoo was closed in the late 1970s, and only the lion's den now remains. Rhodes's Groote Schuur estate nearby

129-479: A massive statue inspired by the historical antique " colossus of Rhodes " on the island of Rhodes, Greece which was meant to overlook Cape Town from the summit of Lion's Head , similar to the large statue of Christ overlooking Rio de Janeiro . Today the memorial is part of the Table Mountain National Park . There was a well-known tea room behind the memorial, but has unfortunately burned down. It

172-590: A monument allows us to see the past thus helping us visualize what is to come in the future. In English the word "monumental" is often used in reference to something of extraordinary size and power, as in monumental sculpture , but also to mean simply anything made to commemorate the dead, as a funerary monument or other example of funerary art . A formalist interpretation of monuments suggests their origins date back to antiquity and even prehistory. Archaeologists like Gordon Childe viewed ancient monuments as symbols of power. Historians such as Lewis Mumford proposed that

215-569: A monument needs to be open to the public, which means that its spatial dimension, as well as its content can be experienced by the public, and be sustainable. The former may be achieved either by situating the monument in public space or by a public discussion about the monument and its meaning, the latter by the materiality of the monument or if its content immediately becomes part of the collective or cultural memory. The social meanings of monuments are rarely fixed and certain and are frequently 'contested' by different social groups. As an example: whilst

258-404: A movement toward some monuments being conceived as cultural heritage in the form of remains to be preserved, and concerning commemorative monuments, there has been a shift toward the abstract counter monument. In both cases, their conflictive nature is explicit in the need for their conservation, given that a fundamental component of state action following the construction or declaration of monuments

301-404: A semi-circular terrace up to a rectangular U-shaped monument formed of pillars. The memorial is built of Cape granite quarried on Table Mountain. At the bottom of the steps is a bronze statue of a horseman, Physical Energy by George Frederic Watts . Eight bronze lions by John Macallan Swan flank the steps leading up to the memorial, with a bust of Rhodes (also by JM Swan). The inscription on

344-539: Is South Africa today, this kind of memorial is inappropriate. There are also several other movements ongoing that are addressing issues on this topic, like discussions about monuments and statues in the UK and Europe that promoted colonialism and imperialism, and the Black Lives Matter movement . Another point of view in this debate accepts the problematic signal that this kind of monument holds but argues that keeping them in

387-504: Is also a starting point for walking and hiking on Devil's Peak. Around the memorial are groves of oaks and stone pines from Europe, and there are also a few remaining pockets of the original Afromontane forest nearby. Just up the slope from Rhodes Memorial there is a small forest of a famous native tree called the Silvertree . Table Mountain is possibly the only place on earth where this majestic tree grows wild and Rhodes Memorial has one of

430-481: Is in post-Apartheid South Africa a controversial site due to the political impact Cecil Rhodes historically had in the formation of an inequal system. Some are of the opinion that colonialism and apartheid are part of the history of South Africa and that the Rhodes Memorial therefore is appropriate. Another view on the matter is that, due to the impact the colonialism has had on forming the inequal society that

473-436: Is litigating vandalism and iconoclasm. However, not all monuments represent the interests of nation-states and the ruling classes; their forms are also employed beyond Western borders and by social movements as part of subversive practices which use monuments as a means of expression, where forms previously exclusive to European elites are used by new social groups or for generating anti-monumental artifacts that directly challenge

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516-493: Is located at Rhodes's favourite spot on his former estate on the lower slopes of Devil's Peak. Rhodes's own wooden bench is still situated below the memorial. The view facing north-east can be imagined as the start of the Cape to Cairo Railway and Rhodes's dream of a "red line" of British dominions spanning the continents north to its south. Rhodes owned vast areas of the lower slopes of adjacent Table Mountain , most of which he gave to

559-566: Is now a South African presidential residence. A statue of Rhodes was situated on the UCT campus, on the lower part of Sarah Baartman Hall steps overlooking the university's rugby fields. This statue had become the focus of protests in March 2015 calling for its removal. It has now been permanently removed. The area around the memorial was affected by the Table Mountain fire in 2021 , and the visitors' cafe

602-465: Is often used to describe any structure that is a significant and legally protected historic work, and many countries have equivalents of what is called in United Kingdom legislation a Scheduled Monument , which often include relatively recent buildings constructed for residential or industrial purposes, with no thought at the time that they would come to be regarded as "monuments". Until recently, it

645-487: Is the common name for species of deer in the genus Dama of subfamily Cervinae . The name fallow is derived from the deer's pale brown colour . The Latin word dāma or damma , used for roe deer , gazelles , and antelopes , lies at the root of the modern scientific name, as well as the German Damhirsch , French daim , Dutch damhert , and Italian daino . In Serbo-Croatian ,

688-432: Is to be sustainably damaged or even destroyed. In addition to the national protection of cultural monuments, international organizations (cf. UNESCO World Heritage , Blue Shield International ) therefore try to protect cultural monuments. Recently, more and more monuments are being preserved digitally (in 3D models) through organisations as CyArk . Fallow deer For extinct species, see text Fallow deer

731-456: The IUCN , treat it as a separate species ( D. mesopotamica ). Based on genetic evidence, Dama is considered to be closest living relative of the extinct genus Megaloceros . The circumscription of the genus is uncertain, with some authors choosing to include taxa that are otherwise placed in the genus Pseudodama , which may be ancestral to Dama . The earliest species of Dama appeared around

774-528: The British Cape Colony , today a part of the state of South Africa . He had an important and undisputedly partly questionable role in the British imperial policies towards whole southern Africa at the end of the 19th century, a period of colonialism called Scramble for Africa . Therefore, the existence of the extensive monument has been subject to controversy in present-day South Africa. The memorial

817-534: The Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary approximately 2.6 million years ago, or around the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene approximately 0.8 million years ago, depending on the species included in the genus. The relationships of most Dama species to each other and to other fossil deer are controversial, with no overall consensus on their relationships, aside the close relationship of D. clactoniana with

860-569: The South African context is an important topic in the decolonial and post-apartheid society. With Rhodes using his political power to re-distribute land from black Africans through the Glen Grey Act and at the same time increasing the limit of economic wealth needed for having the right to vote though the Franchise and Ballot Act , he was a large contributor to the inequality that still perpetuates

903-546: The South African country today. These political decisions were made in the Parliament of Cape , and therefore the Rhodes Memorial, and other monuments in the area, is a constant reminder of the sort of power that was being performed in Cape Town at the time.  Currently there are efforts to transform the society of South Africa to make up for some of the inequal politics that the apartheid regime and colonialism has inflicted upon

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946-635: The case of the Great Wall of China , or because an event of great importance occurred there such as the village of Oradour-sur-Glane in France . Many countries use ' ancient monument ' or similar terms for the official designation of protected structures or archeological sites which may originally have been ordinary domestic houses or other buildings. Monuments are also often designed to convey historical or political information, and they can thus develop an active socio-political potency. They can be used to reinforce

989-596: The country, like the land reform . The controversies around monuments like this symbolic representation of Rhodes power reflects the question concerning if there is need for recognition and erasure of the same historical political power on a symbolic level, as well as in the politics of the rights themselves. The vandalism on the memorial in 2015 and 2020 is thought to be a result of the controversy and protests against legacies of colonialism and imperialism. Monument Monuments result from social practices of construction or conservation of material artifacts through which

1032-477: The debate touches on the social mechanisms that combine with Remembrance. These are acceptance of the monument as an object, the conveyed contents and the impact of these contents. Monuments are frequently used to improve the appearance of a city or location. Planned cities such as Washington, D.C. , New Delhi and Brasília are often built around monuments. For example, the Washington Monument 's location

1075-542: The distinction between these views: "The historic monument is a precisely datable invention of the West... exported and diffused beyond Europe from the late nineteenth century." Basically, the definition framework of the term monument depends on the current historical frame conditions. Aspects of the Culture of Remembrance and cultural memory are also linked to it, as well as questions about the concepts of public sphere and durability (of

1118-603: The former East German socialist state may have seen the Berlin Wall as a means of 'protection' from the ideological impurity of the west, dissidents and others would often argue that it was symbolic of the inherent repression and paranoia of that state. This contention of meaning is a central theme of modern 'post processual' archaeological discourse. While many ancient monuments still exist today, there are notable incidents of monuments being intentionally or accidentally destroyed and many monuments are likely to have disappeared through

1161-439: The ideology of their promoters is manifested. The concept of the modern monument emerged with the development of capital and the nation-state in the fifteenth century when the ruling classes began to build and conserve what were termed monuments. These practices proliferated significantly in the nineteenth century, creating the ideological frameworks for their conservation as a universal humanist duty. The twentieth century has marked

1204-409: The last surviving stands. Alien fallow deer used to live in the area, although they are now being eliminated to make way for the re-introduction of indigenous antelope species. Below the memorial is a game enclosure where eland, zebra and wildebeest are kept. Rhodes Memorial is not generally used for events but does host occasional performances, an annual Easter sunrise service, and is often used as

1247-527: The letting such memorials stay in the public space gives significance to, and continues the promotions of, the ideas that Rhodes him selves promoted, like the elitism of the white population and the economical and geographical distribution and ownership. The students of South Africa, through the Rhodes Must Fall movement, expressed how they did not accept the insensitivities that this kind of monument gives presence to. The issue of symbolic representation in

1290-451: The monument is "To the spirit and life work of Cecil John Rhodes who loved and served South Africa." Inscribed below the bust of Rhodes are the last four lines of the last stanza from the 1902 poem Burial by Rudyard Kipling in honour of Rhodes: The monument was completed and dedicated in 1912. A memorial proposed by the British official (Colonial Secretary) Earl Grey never materialised:

1333-471: The monuments in their jurisdiction, there are institutions dedicated on the efforts to protect and preserve monuments that considered to possess special natural or cultural significance for the world, such as UNESCO 's World Heritage Site programme and World Monuments Fund . Cultural monuments are also considered to be the memory of a community and are therefore particularly at risk in the context of modern asymmetrical warfare. The enemy's cultural heritage

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1376-472: The name for the fallow deer is jelen lopatar ("shovel deer"), due to the form of its antlers. The Modern Hebrew name of the fallow deer is yachmur ( יחמור ). The genus includes two extant species: [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Some taxonomists classify the Persian fallow deer as a subspecies ( D. d. mesopotamica ), while others, such as

1419-662: The nation on his death. Part of his estate was used for the University of Cape Town upper campus, part is now the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden , while much else of it was spared from development. The architect, Sir Herbert Baker, allegedly modelled the memorial after the Greek temple at Segesta although it is actually closer to the temple of Pergamon in design. It consists of a massive staircase with 49 steps (one for each year of Rhodes's life) leading from

1462-404: The one memorized) and the form and content of the monument (work-like monument). From an art historical point of view, the dichotomy of content and form opens up the problem of the "linguistic ability" of the monument. It becomes clear that language is an eminent part of a monument and it is often represented in "non-objective" or "architectural monuments", at least with a plaque. In this connection,

1505-615: The passage of time and natural forces such as erosion. In 772 during the Saxon Wars , Charlemagne intentionally destroyed an Irminsul monument in order to desecrate the pagan religion. In 1687 the Parthenon in Athens was partially destroyed by a Venetian mortar round, which set off the store of gunpowder kept there by the Turkish defenders. A recent archeological dig in central France uncovered

1548-591: The practice began with Paleolithic landmarks, which served as sites for communication with ancestral spirits. However, these perspectives often project modern uses of monuments onto ancient structures. In art history, monuments are seen as significant sculptural forms; in architecture and urban planning, they are crucial for city organization and mapping. These contemporary interpretations have been retroactively applied to ancient and non-Western structures. This modern concept of monuments aligns with how past constructions are labeled as monuments today. Françóise Choay highlights

1591-676: The primacy of contemporary political power, such as the column of Trajan or the numerous statues of Lenin in the Soviet Union . They can be used to educate the populace about important events or figures from the past, such as in the renaming of the old General Post Office Building in New York City to the James A. Farley Building , after James Farley , former Postmaster General of the United States . To fulfill its informative and educative functions

1634-620: The public light is preferable so that they can be critically interrogated on a regular basis. The controversy around Cecil Rhodes monuments was addressed by the Rhodes Must Fall movement, a series of student protests, that eventually lead to the removal of the statue of Cecil Rhodes at the University of Cape Town campus. Many of the same arguments are brought up in the discussion of the memorial, as well as for other monuments and statues of Rhodes in Southern Africa.  These point at how

1677-505: The remains of a Megalithic monument that had been previously destroyed "Like some monuments, including Belz in Morbihan , the menhirs of Veyre-Monton were knocked down in order to make them disappear from the landscape. Pushed into large pits, sometimes mutilated or covered with earth, these monoliths have been destroyed. 'object of iconoclastic gestures, a sort of condemnation perhaps linked to some change of community or beliefs " The term

1720-453: The state and the ruling classes. In conflicts, therefore, it is not so much the monument which is relevant but rather what happens to the communities that participate in its construction or destruction and their instigation of forms of social interaction. The word "monument" comes from the Latin " monumentum ", derived from the word moneo , monere , which means 'to remind' or 'to warn', suggesting

1763-490: Was burnt down. In September 2015, the bronze bust of Rhodes at the memorial was vandalised. The nose was cut off and the memorial was daubed with graffiti accusing Rhodes of being a "Racist, thief, [and] murderer." It appeared that the vandals had attempted to cut off the whole head. The nose was later restored by a local artist and historian. In July 2020, the bust was decapitated. The head was recovered nearby and reattached on Heritage Day later that year. The Rhodes Memorial

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1806-593: Was conceived by L'Enfant to help organize public space in the city, before it was designed or constructed. Older cities have monuments placed at locations that are already important or are sometimes redesigned to focus on one. As Shelley suggested in his famous poem " Ozymandias " (" Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! "), the purpose of monuments is very often to impress or awe. Structures created for other purposes that have been made notable by their age, size or historic significance may also be regarded as monuments. This can happen because of great age and size, as in

1849-475: Was customary for archaeologists to study large monuments and pay less attention to the everyday lives of the societies that created them. New ideas about what constitutes the archaeological record have revealed that certain legislative and theoretical approaches to the subject are too focused on earlier definitions of monuments. An example has been the United Kingdom 's Scheduled Ancient Monument laws. Other than municipal or national government that protecting

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