History Of Surveying Equipment – Part 1

The surveying is believed to be one of the oldest professions in the world. Historians say that different archeological discoveries show that surveying has been used by many ancient civilizations like Egyptian, Babylon civilization, Greeks and Romans. Numerous history reports show that ancient civilizations accurately established their ancient cities, towns, colossal monuments and castles by using many different tools and surveying equipment.

Based on many archeological monuments and discoveries, historians believe that the very first surveying  accessories were developed and used in ancient Egypt. The usage of such equipment is manifested in the construction of one of the world’s most famous architectural wonder – The Great Pyramid of Giza. The very first documented land ownership records are also from Egypt. These records show that the Egyptians had excellent knowledge of mathematics and geometry.

The Babylonians were among the many civilizations who adopted the surveying techniques and methods that were used in ancient Egypt. Kudurrus were stone tablets that were used in ancient Babylon and served as boundary stones on which details about the property, the owner and the surveyor were written. The land surveyors were also present in ancient Greece and Rome. These surveyors were essential for the creation and for the construction of many amazing buildings and monuments like the Parthenon in Greece or the Colosseum in Rome. The Romans and the Greeks developed an ancient surveying tool known as the Groma. This ancient device was equipped with a cross bar and was used for measuring straight lines and right angles. Even the early settlement of Australia involved and required help of land surveyors, mainly for determining the land and water boundaries.

Over the years, a number of different surveying tools and equipment have been developed and invented for measuring distance between points, determining directions, vertical and horizontal lines and positions, and also for determining astronomical positions. Many of them have been replaced with new and modern tools, but all have had significant impact on the surveying process. The surveyors and the surveying techniques have been around for centuries. Although the surveying tools and methods have changed over the years, the underlying principles of the surveying and mapping processes remained the same. Continue reading to learn the short history the surveying equipment which was used over the years.

Continue Reading – Part 2