Surveying

© Isaac Moreno Gallo
http://www.traianvs.net/
_ _____________________________________________________________________________________

ROMAN SURVEYING
First Published as Elementos de ingeniería romana [Elements of Roman engineering],
Proceedings of the European congress “Las obras públicas romanas” [Roman public Works]
ISBN 84-688-8190-2pp.25-68. Tarragona, 3-6 November, 2004

IsaacMoreno Gallo © 2004
isaacmg@wanadoo.es
Translated by
Brian R. Bishop © 2006
TRAIANVS © 2006

2.- ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY ................................................................................................ 2
2.1.- Forerunners ..................................................................................................................... 3
Thales of Miletus................................................................................................................. 3
Pythagoras ........................................................................................................................... 5
Euclid .................................................................................................................................. 6
Apollonius........................................................................................................................... 6
Archimedes .......................................................................................................................... 6
Hipparchus.......................................................................................................................... 7Heron of Alexandria ............................................................................................................ 8
Ptolemy ............................................................................................................................... 8
2.2.- The spatial concept......................................................................................................... 9
3.- INSTRUMENTS ................................................................................................................ 12
3.1.- String ............................................................................................................................ 12
3.2.- Chains........................................................................................................................... 13
3.3.- Decempeda or pertica (perch) ....................................................................................... 14
3.4.- Odometer...................................................................................................................... 14
3.5.- Range poles................................................................................................................... 15
3.6.- Groma........................................................................................................................... 15
3.7.- Surveyor's square ........................................................................................................... 19
3.8.- Gnomon....................................................................................................................... 22
3.9.- Libra Aquaria ................................................................................................................ 25
3.10.- Chorobate or leveller ................................................................................................... 25
3.11.- Diopter....................................................................................................................... 33
3.12.- Lychnia or lamp-standard ............................................................................................ 36
4.- TECHNIQUES ................................................................................................................... 37
4.1.- Land measurement, geodesy and triangulation....