Roman Surveying And Construction

Greek surveying was in turn adapted and further developed and progressed to an even greater accomplishment by the Romans. Roman monuments stand to this day as a testament to the greatness of Roman society. Some of the most distinctive monuments are the roads and aqueducts. These structures are impressive in their design and functionality, some of which can still be used today. These monuments also stand as a testament to those who built them. The surveyors of Rome played an essential role in the construction of the roads and the aqueducts, and developed many of the fundamental principles of surveying and construction. Essential to every engineering project, presently as well as in ancient times, was the need for consistency and precision in measuring. The use of measuring equipment assisted the surveyors in this endeavor and was essential in the Romans' ability to build on a grand scale. Some methods were less precise than others, ranging from the use of pacing and ropes to standardized rods. The Romans also had several devices at their disposal that utilized the fundamental principles of surveying. These included the
Their land surveying system was the continuation of that of Egypt and Greece. Although the work of the Roman surveyors was largely built upon the work of other cultures, but they refined the process. With a collection of simple tools, they managed great feats of engineering that would be unrivalled in Europe for nearly a thousand years, including bridges and fortresses. Their most enduring legacy would be the Roman roads, many of which are still in use today and determined the course of many modern roads. The Roman tools and techniques form the basis of our own methods of surveying and the principles of surveying have not changed much since that time, only the accuracy of