History[edit]
Civil engineering as a discipline[edit]
Civil engineering is the application of physical and scientific principles for solving the problems
of society, and its history is intricately linked to advances in the understanding
of physics and mathematics throughout history. Because civil engineering is a wide-ranging
profession, including several specialized sub-disciplines, its history is linked to knowledge of
structures, materials science, geography,
geology, soils, hydrology, environment, mechanics and other fields.
Throughout ancient and medieval history most architectural design and construction was
carried out by artisans, such as stonemasons and carpenters, rising to the role of master
builder. Knowledge was retained in guilds and seldom supplanted by advances. Structures,
roads, and infrastructure that existed were repetitive, and increases in scale were incremental.
[5]
One of the earliest examples of a scientific approach to physical and mathematical problems
applicable to civil engineering is the work of Archimedes in the 3rd century BC, including
Archimedes Principle, which underpins our understanding of buoyancy, and practical solutions
such as Archimedes' screw. Brahmagupta, an Indian mathematician, used arithmetic in the 7th
century AD, based on Hindu-Arabic numerals, for excavation (volume) computations. [6]
Civil engineering profession[edit]
See also: History of structural engineering
Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginnings of human existence. The earliest
practice of civil engineering may have commenced between 4000 and 2000 BC in ancient
Egypt, the Indus Valley Civilization, and Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq) when humans started to
abandon a nomadic existence, creating a need for the construction of shelter. During this time,
transportation became increasingly important leading to the development of the wheel
and sailing.
Leonhard Euler developed the theory explaining the buckling of columns.
Until modern times there was no clear distinction between civil engineering and architecture,
and the term engineer and architect were mainly geographical variations referring to the same
occupation, and often used interchangeably.[7] The construction of pyramids in Egypt (circa
2700–2500 BC) were some of the first instances of large structure constructions. Other ancient
historic civil engineering constructions include the Qanat water management system (the
oldest is older than 3000 years and longer than 71 km,[8]) the Parthenon by Iktinos in Ancient
Greece (447–438 BC), the Appian Way by Roman engineers (c. 312 BC), the Great Wall of
China by General Meng T'ien under orders from Ch'in Emperor Shih Huang Ti (c. 220 BC)
[9]
and the stupas constructed in ancient Sri Lanka like the Jetavanaramaya and the extensive
irrigation works in Anuradhapura. The Romans developed civil structures throughout their
empire, including especially aqueducts, insulae, harbors, bridges, dams and roads.
A Roman aqueduct [built circa 19 BC], Pont du Gard, France
Chichen Itza was a large pre-Columbian city in Mexico built by the Maya people of the Post Classic. The
northeast column temple also covers a channel that funnels all the rainwater from the complex some 40
metres (130 ft) away to a rejollada, a former cenote.
In the 18th century, the term civil engineering was coined to incorporate all things civilian as
opposed to military engineering. [4] The first self-proclaimed civil engineer was John Smeaton,
who constructed the Eddystone Lighthouse.[3][9] In 1771 Smeaton and some of his colleagues
formed the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers, a group of leaders of the profession who
met informally over dinner. Though there was evidence of some technical meetings, it was little
more than a social society.
John Smeaton, the "father of civil engineering"
In 1818 the Institution of Civil Engineers was founded in London, [10] and in 1820 the eminent
engineer Thomas Telford became its first president. The institution received a Royal Charter in
1828, formally recognising civil engineering as a profession. Its charter defined civil
engineering as:
the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man,
as the means of production and of traffic in states, both for external and internal trade, as
applied in the construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, canals, river navigation and docks for
internal intercourse and exchange, and in the construction of ports, harbours, moles,
breakwaters and lighthouses, and in the art of navigation by artificial power for the purposes of
commerce, and in the construction and application of machinery, and in the drainage of cities
and towns.[11]
