History of Civil Engineering:
It is difficult to determine the history of emergence and beginning
of civil engineering, however, that the history of civil engineering is a
mirror of the history of human beings on this earth. Man used the old
shelter caves to protect themselves of weather and harsh environment,
and used a tree trunk to cross the river, which being the demonstration
of ancient age civil engineering.
Civil
Engineering has been an aspect of life since the beginnings of human
existence. The earliest practices of Civil engg may have commenced
between 4000 and 2000 BC in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia (Ancient Iraq)
when humans started to abandon a nomadic existence, thus causing a need
for the construction of shelter. During this time, transportation
became increasingly important leading to the development of the wheel
and sailing.
Until modern times there was no clear distinction between civil engg
and architecture, and the term engineer and architect were mainly
geographical variations referring to the same person, often used
interchangeably. The construction of Pyramids in Egypt (circa 2700-2500
BC) might be considered the first instances of large structure
constructions.
Around
2550 BC, Imhotep, the first documented engineer, built a famous stepped
pyramid for King Djoser located at Saqqara Necropolis. With simple
tools and mathematics he created a monument that stands to this day. His
greatest contribution to engineering was his discovery of the art of
building with shaped stones. Those who followed him carried engineering
to remarkable heights using skill and imagination.
Ancient historic civil engineering constructions include the Qanat
water management system (the oldest older than 3000 years and longer
than 71 km,) 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) 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, harbours, bridges, dams and roads.
Other remarkable historical structures are Sennacherib’s Aqueduct at
Jerwan built in 691 BC; Li Ping’s irrigation projects in China (around
220 BC); Julius Caesar’s Bridge over the Rhine River built in 55 BC,
numerous bridges built by other Romans in and around Rome(e.g. the pons
Fabricius); Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct, Nimes, France) built in 19 BC;
the extensive system of highways the Romans built to facilitate trading
and (more importantly) fast manoeuvring of legions; extensive
irrigation system constructed by the Hohokam Indians, Salt River, AZ
around 600 AD; first dykes defending against high water in Friesland,
The Netherlands around 1000 AD; El Camino Real – The Royal Road, Eastern
Branch, TX and Western Branch, NM (1500s AD).
Machu
Picchu, Peru, built at around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire is
considered an engineering marvel. It was built in the Andes Mountains
assisted by some of history’s most ingenious water resource engineers.
The people of Machu Picchu built a mountain top city with running water,
drainage systems, food production and stone structures so advanced that
they endured for over 500years.
A
treatise on Architecture, Book called Vitruvius’ De Archiectura, was
published at 1AD in Rome and survived to give us a look at engineering
education in ancient times. It was probably written around 15 BC by the
Roman architect Vitruvius and dedicated to his patron, the emperor
Caesar Augustus, as a guide for building projects.
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.
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.
Educational & Institutional history of civil engineering
In the 18th century, the term civil engineering was coined to
incorporate all things civilian as opposed to military engineering. The
first engineering school, The National School of Bridges and Highways,
France, was opened in 1747. The first self-proclaimed civil engineer was
John Smeaton who constructed the Eddystone Lighthouse. 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.
In
1818, world’s first engineering society, the Institution of Civil
Engineers was founded in London, and in 1820 the eminent engineer Thomas
Telford became its first president. The institution received a Royal
Charter in 1828, formally recognizing civil engineering as a profession.
Its charter defined civil engineering as: “Civil engineering is the
application of physical and scientific principles, and its history is
intricately linked to advances in understanding of physics and
mathematics throughout history. Because civil engineering is a wide
ranging profession, including several separate specialized
sub-disciplines, its history is linked to knowledge of structures,
material science, geography, geology, soil, hydrology, environment,
mechanics and other fields.”
The first private college to teach Civil Engineering in the United
States was Norwich University founded in 1819 by Captain Alden
Partridge. The first degree in Civil Engineering in the United States
was awarded by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1835. The first such
degree to be awarded to a woman was granted by Cornell University to
Nora Stanton Blatch in 1905.