History of Civil Engineering

Pre-18th Century Civil Engineering

Civil engineering began in 4000 and 2000 BC in Egypt during the times of the creation of the pyramids and with the increased need for transportation of goods, materials, and supplies for people and construction. Major structures like the Ancient Wall of China and the Pyramids were constructed on the basis of ancient civil engineering techniques that form the basis of what we use today. They started creating aqueducts, dams, and vast empires for protection of their people and commodities. Civil engineering was a chiefly applied in a military manner after major civilizations began appearing. Engineers used the principles of civil engineering to construct catapults, towers, and small arms and instruments for them to use in battle. They als0o travelled with armies to construct roads, bridges, and other forms of transportation to assist in the armies’ advance.

18th-20th Century Engineering

It wasn’t until the early to mid 19th century that Civil Engineering was named a separate study from Architecture. In 1819, Norwich University established a separate civil engineering class delineating the difference between architecture, military engineering, and civil engineering. From that point on, many civil engineering societies like the American Society of Civil Engineers were formed in the United States and Europe and the popularity and importance of the study greatly increased.

Modern Civil Engineering

Nowadays, civil engineering is one the most important parts of the engineering field. It is used to create important machinery, buildings, roads, schools, and much more. With recent advancements in technology, modern engineers now have access to programs like CAD and CAM which help them design, create, and test simulations of any type of structure the engineer creates. These programs can save time, money, and labour and greatly increase the efficiency of construction in modern times