Surveying instruments of Greece and Rome / M.J.T. Lewis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lewis, M. J. T., 1938-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Surveying--Greece--Instruments.

Surveying--Rome--Instruments.

Surveying--History.

Surveying.

History.

Greece.

Physical Description:

xx, 389 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Contents:

Part I Instruments and Methods

A. Precursors of the Greeks 13

B. Measuring distances 19

C. Orientation and right angles 22

D. Measuring heights 23

E. Levelling 27

2 Background to the dioptra

A. The sighting tube 36

B. Astronomical instruments 38

C. The Hipparchan dioptra 41

D. The measuring rod 42

E. Gamaliel's tube 46

F. Philo's level and staff 48

3 The dioptra 51

A. The treatises 53

B. The sources of the treatises 62

C. The minor sources 66

D. The plane astrolabe 67

E. The standard dioptra 71

F. Hero's dioptra 82

G. Levelling 89

H. Other surveys 97

I. Chronological conclusions 101

J. Testing a reconstructed dioptra 103

4 The libra

A. The evidence 109

B. Testing a reconstructed libra 116

5 The groma

A. Grids 120

B. The groma and its use 124

6 The hodometer 134

Part II Practical Applications

7 Measurement of the earth 143

8 Mountain heights 157

9 Canals and aqueducts

A. Early canal schemes 167

B. Aqueduct surveying 170

C. The Nimes aqueduct and others 181

D. The challenges of surveying 191

10 Tunnels

A. Categories 197

B. Alignment 200

C. Level 204

D. Meeting 206

E. Instruments 213

11 Roman roads

B. Interpolation and extrapolation 218

C. Successive approximation 220

D. Dead reckoning 224

E. Geometrical construction 232

Part III The Sources

The treatises

Hero of Alexandria: Dioptra 259

Julius Africanus: Cesti 1 15 286

Anonymus Byzantinus: Geodesy 289

Al-Karaji: The Search for Hidden Waters XXIII 298

The basic elements (Chapter 1) 303

Background to the dioptra (Chapter 2) 305

The dioptra (Chapter 3) 308

The libra (Chapter 4) 318

The groma (Chapter 5) 323

The hodometer (Chapter 6) 329

Measurement of the earth (Chapter 7) 332

Mountain heights (Chapter 8) 335

Canals and aqueducts (Chapter 9) 340

Tunnels (Chapter 10) 345

Roman roads (Chapter 11) 347

Appendix Uncertain devices

A. The U-tube level 349

B. The dioptra on a coin 350

C. Dodecahedrons 350

D. The 'cross-staff' 351

E. Sagui's instruments 352.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 355-368) and index.

ISBN:

0521792975

OCLC:

44076128