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Questions and Answers
What was the primary purpose of dividing the land of Egypt into plots according to the oldest historical records?
What was the name of the treatise written by Heron of Alexandria that described methods of surveying a field?
What was the primary tool used by early Egyptian surveyors?
Who is considered the Great-Great Grandfather of Engineering?
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What was the approximate time period when Sesostris divided the land of Egypt into plots for taxation?
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What was the primary purpose of Heron of Alexandria's Dioptra?
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What was the title of the Greek mathematician and engineer who wrote several treatises of interest to surveyors?
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What was the primary reason for the appointment of surveyors in ancient Egypt?
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Who recorded the history of Sesostris dividing the land of Egypt into plots for taxation?
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What was the name of the early surveyors in ancient Egypt?
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Study Notes
Ancient Surveying Instruments
- A dioptra is a classical astronomical and surveying instrument
- It consists of a sighting tube or a rod with a sight at both ends, attached to a stand
- When fitted with protractors, it can be used to measure angles
Dioptra and Heron of Alexandria
- Heron of Alexandria was a pioneer in applying science to surveying around 120 B.C.
- He wrote several important treatises, including the Dioptra, which described methods of surveying a field, drawing a plan, and making related calculations
- Heron's work was the most authoritative among Greek and Egyptian surveyors for many years
Shape and Size of the Earth
- In ancient civilizations, humans tried to determine the true shape and size of the Earth
- Eratosthenes, a Greek, computed the Earth's dimension around 200 B.C.
- He observed the Earth's circular shadow on the moon during lunar eclipses and the ships disappearing over the horizon
- Eratosthenes used the angles of shadows and the distance between Alexandria and Syene to calculate the Earth's circumference, concluding it was around 25,000 miles
Definition and Classification of Surveying
- Surveying is a branch of applied mathematics that determines the area of any portion of the Earth's surface, the lengths and directions of bounding lines, and the contour of the surface
- Surveying is also the science, art, and technology of determining the relative positions of points above, on, or beneath the Earth's surface
- Geomatics Engineering is a modern term that encompasses surveying, involving the measurement, representation, analysis, management, retrieval, and display of spatial information
- Geomatics is an integrated approach to the measurement, analysis, management, and display of geographic and other spatial data
History of Surveying
- The oldest historical records of surveying date back to ancient Egypt around 1400 B.C.
- Sesostris divided the land of Egypt into plots for taxation, and surveyors were appointed to replace boundaries after annual floods
- These early surveyors were called rope-stretchers, using ropes with markers at unit distances for measurements
- Heron of Alexandria is considered the Great-Great Grandfather of Engineering, applying science to surveying around 120 B.C.
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Description
Learn about the dioptra, a classical astronomical and surveying instrument used to measure angles. It was one of the first pieces of equipment recorded in history.
