Archaeologist gives instructions on how to safely pull down obelisks during George Floyd protests

A leading archeologist tweeted light-hearted instructions on how to safely topple an obelisk as George Floyd protestors in her town toppled a confederate monument and statue during a demonstration that had quickly escalated into unrest. 

University of Alabama at Birmingham archeologist Sarah Parcak took to Twitter Sunday evening offering details on how to bring an obelisk down as demonstrators in the city’s Linn Park defaced a Confederate monument and tore down a statue of Confederate Naval captain Charles Linn Sunday night.

A day earlier, protestors in Nashville, Tennessee, toppled a statue of Edward Carmac, a former politician and newspaper publisher who wrote editorials expressing racist views.  

University of Alabama at Birmingham archeologist Sarah Parcak took to Twitter Sunday evening offering details on how to bring an obelisk down as demonstrators in the city’s Linn Park tore down a statue of Confederate Naval captain Charles Linn Sunday night

University of Alabama at Birmingham archeologist Sarah Parcak took to Twitter Sunday evening offering details on how to bring an obelisk down as demonstrators in the city¿s Linn Park tore down a statue of Confederate Naval captain Charles Linn Sunday night.

University of Alabama at Birmingham archeologist Sarah Parcak took to Twitter Sunday evening offering details on how to bring an obelisk down as demonstrators in the city’s Linn Park tore down a statue of Confederate Naval captain Charles Linn Sunday night.

Parcak’s tweets did not point to any specific protest, but hinted at the confederate monument in the park, which is an obelisk, and her awareness of the demonstrations that followed the police-related death of Floyd in Minneapolis more than a week ago. She started saying her comments on twitter were a public service announcement. 

‘PSA For ANYONE who might be interested in how to pull down an obelisk* safely from an Egyptologist who never ever in a million years thought this advice might come in handy,’ she wrote, explaining in a footnote that she was referring to any obelisk that ‘might be masquerading as a racist monument’.

Protestors have defaced and destroyed monuments in cities where demonstrations have been staged in response to Floyd’s police-related slaying. 

Even the iconic Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC and the National World War II Memorial weren’t spared from vandalism and graffiti amid weekend protests.

‘In the wake of last night’s demonstrations, there are numerous instances of vandalism to sites around the National Mall,’ the National Park Service for the National Mall said in a tweet on Sunday along with photos of monuments covered in graffiti.

‘For generations the Mall has been our nation’s premier civic gathering space for non-violent demonstrations, and we ask individuals to carry on that tradition. ‘

Protestors have defaced and destroyed monuments in cities where demonstrations have been staged in response to Floyd's police-related slaying. Even the iconic Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC (pictured) was targeted over the weekend

Protestors have defaced and destroyed monuments in cities where demonstrations have been staged in response to Floyd’s police-related slaying. Even the iconic Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC (pictured) was targeted over the weekend

A National Park Service worker power washes black spray paint that read "Do Black Vets Count?" from the World War II Memorial in Washington DC  Sunday after protests over the death of George Floyd

A National Park Service worker power washes black spray paint that read ‘Do Black Vets Count?’ from the World War II Memorial in Washington DC  Sunday after protests over the death of George Floyd

Parcak, an Egyptologist by training, had won a $1 million TED prize in 2016 and used crowd-sourced funding to use satellite imaging to identify archaeological sites. 

‘My Bona Fides: I’m an Egyptologist. I have worked in Egypt for 20 years and know a lot about ancient Egyptian architecture. Especially how they raised obelisks,’ she wrote in her tweets.

Her tweets continued then in detail on how to bring down an obelisk, suggesting two groups of people to do the pulling, but allowing gravity to do most of the work, and the use of ropes and chains.

Parcak, an Egyptologist by training, had won a $1 million TED prize in 2016 and used crowd-sourced funding to use satellite imaging to identify archaeological sites

Parcak, an Egyptologist by training, had won a $1 million TED prize in 2016 and used crowd-sourced funding to use satellite imaging to identify archaeological sites

Pacak noted in one of her tweets that she is a trained 'Egyptologist'

Pacak noted in one of her tweets that she is a trained ‘Egyptologist’

‘I recommend a rhythmic song. YOU WILL NEED SOMEONE WITH A LOUDSPEAKER DIRECTING. There can be only one person yelling. Everyone will be alternating on rope left right left right not everyone on the same side. No one else near the obelisk! Safety first!’ she wrote in one of the tweets. 

Upon finishing her instructions, she tweeted a ‘good riddance’ to racist-inspired monuments. ‘WATCH THAT SUMBITCH TOPPLE GET THE %^&* OUT OF THE WAY IT WILL SMASH RUN AWAY FROM DIRECTION. Then celebrate. Because #BlackLivesMatter and good riddance to any obelisks pretending to be ancient Egyptian obelisks when they are in fact celebrating racism and white nationalism. 

She asked that no actual Egyptian obelisks be toppled. ‘OK because this is twitter I need to clarify: PLEASE DO NOT PULL DOWN ACTUAL ANCIENT EGYPTIAN OBELISKS that was not the point of this thread,’ she explained in another tweet.

She then posted a schematic showing exactly how to bring down an obelisk, and made a reference that there maybe one in downtown Birmingham. 

Parcak even posted a schematic showing exactly how to bring down an obelisk, and made a reference that there maybe one in downtown Birmingham

Parcak even posted a schematic showing exactly how to bring down an obelisk, and made a reference that there maybe one in downtown Birmingham

‘There might be one just like this in downtown Birmingham! What a coincidence. Can someone please show this thread to the folks there,’ she wrote. 

‘BUT OF COURSE THIS IS ALL ENTIRELY HYPOTHETICAL,’ she added.   

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk