Was Fontana the First Data Science Engineer...?

When the Pope Sixtus V directed it to be re-erected in the colonnaded square before the Basilica of St. Peter, in 1586, the 83 feet tall obelisk stood on a spot 50 feet from the left outside wall of today's St. Peter's Basilica.

It was originally erected at Julian Forum in Alexandria around 30-20 BC by the Emperor Augustus.Later the Emperor Caligula, in 37 AD ordered it transported to Rome on a specially built ship & erected in the spina of the Vatican Circus or Circus of Nero what is now the Vatican.

It had been standing there for nearly 1600 years without any intervention. After the Pope's order it had to be moved by 800 feet. Fontana, a young contractor was assigned to the job. This was the first obelisk to be re-erected in the "modern" times.

The process needed the red granite obelisk to be laid down nearly for 4 months. Keeping 330 ton giant obelisk flat was not easy as it might develop cracks in due course of time.

Hence Fontana collected a huge pile data of the history of moving obelisks across in Egypt. He found that keeping on a flat surface would have ended in a disaster. For, slow erosion on the ground might have led to unbalanced forces that might crack the shaft. End supports would be the worst idea.

Hence he decided to analyse the obelisk by diving into many parts. He might have probably got some clues from his contemporaries like Galileo & used some ideas from da Vinci.

He then carefully identified the support points & applied the data from his rich collections of the past history. Finally, the obelisk was tilted down & kept on the stack of wooden platform with the supports properly spaced. It was then carefully moved & re-erected at where it is today. He was the 1st to apply the Analytical Mechanics in the field of architecture & thus to earn the title First Civil Engineer.

Fontana had documented every detail of the design & analysis in his book "Della Transportatione...".

He was probably the first to use data of 1000 years to apply in the process. Shall I safely call Fontana the First Data Science Engineer?

Images: Wikipedia, Della, http://scirp.org, http://dreamstime.com &https://www.historynotes.info/the-obelisks-of-ancient-egypt-3307/f-ancient-egypt-3307/