Edmond Matloss Jr., age 10, of Gallup,N.M., for his question:

WHAT IS AN OBELISK?

In ancient days, there were no newspapers and no history books. But people liked to keep records of the things that happened. Sometimes they carved them on stone so that the records of history could be read by future generations. In ancient Egypt, perhaps 5,000 years ago, these records often were carved on an obelisk.

The most famous obelisks were tall stone pillars with four sides and a pointed top shaped like a pyramid. The four sides were crowded with letters and words that looked like simplified pictures.  This strange writing told about kings of long ago. Sometimes they described interesting items such as battles or new laws. However, on many of the old obelisks the picture writing is toohard to read  and the whole thing remains a mystery.