| Although today land surveying often makes use | | | | inches. The Egyptian land register, created around |
| of GPS, computer models, and other recent | | | | 3000 BC, is the first known land ownership record. |
| technical developments, the profession of | | | | This record showed the owners of various areas |
| surveying actually dates back centuries. Evidence | | | | of land and also recorded the locations of this land. |
| of surveying techniques can be found throughout | | | | Surveys such as those used to create the land |
| much of recorded history. In fact, land surveying | | | | register were based on geometry, as well as |
| principles date back nearly as far as the idea of | | | | declarations by land owners of the believed |
| land ownership. As soon as individuals or groups | | | | boundaries of their land. |
| owned specified areas of land, there was a need | | | | In ancient Babylon around 1200 BC, a limestone |
| to describe or delineate who owned what, | | | | tablet known as the Babylonian Kudurru was |
| particularly to solve land disputes. This is where | | | | inscribed and set in the land. This boundary stone, |
| land surveying came in, although of course today | | | | the earliest known example of one, held the |
| land surveying is utilized for many other purposes | | | | description of the property, the name of the |
| too. | | | | surveyor and the owner, and the ownership |
| Ancient Egyptian surveying activities were | | | | history. This stone also contained lengthy curses |
| particularly modern for their time period. When | | | | for anyone who would deny the owner's right to |
| the Nile River overflowed its banks, washing out | | | | the land or move the stone. This early tablet |
| the existing boundaries between farms, these | | | | represents one of today's land surveying |
| boundaries were re-established through the use of | | | | methods, which is the placing of a boundary stone |
| simple geometrical concepts by a surveyor. In this | | | | or other marker at the corner of the property. |
| time, surveyors were known as rope stretchers | | | | By 500 BC, the Greeks had adopted many |
| because the measuring device they used was a | | | | Egyptian surveying techniques. It is known that |
| knotted rope. | | | | mathematicians including Thales and Pythagoras |
| Other examples of ancient Egyptian surveying | | | | traveled to Egypt to study geometry, returning |
| prowess can be seen in the Great Pyramid of | | | | to impart their knowledge on mathematicians and |
| Giza. Built around 2700 BC, the pyramid exhibits | | | | surveyors in Greece. In Greece, legendary figures, |
| nearly perfect squareness and a north-south | | | | including Aristotle, Plato, and Archimedes made |
| orientation. Despite its massive size, its orientation | | | | the city of Alexandria a great center of science, |
| and squareness are each off by only a matter of | | | | surveying, and related endeavors. |