Ancient Surveying
Surveying, measurement, and land administration in the ancient world.
People · Places · Measurement
Explore the World of Surveying
People, instruments, maps, boundaries, and the ideas that connect them. Browse every subject in The Lost Surveyor, from ancient measurements to planetary geodesy.
13 categories
Global Surveying
Surveying, mapping, and cadastral traditions from cultures around the world.
Infrastructure & Engineering
Surveying for canals, railroads, tunnels, bridges, and other major works.
Instruments & Methods
The development and use of surveying instruments, observations, and field methods.
Law, Land & Ancient Texts
Boundaries, land records, legal traditions, and measurement in historic documents.
Maps & Plats
Historic maps, plats, cartography, and the records that describe land.
Maritime Navigation
Celestial navigation, hydrography, longitude, charting, and measurement at sea.
Mountains & Geodesy
Triangulation, elevations, gravity, geodesy, and the measurement of high terrain.
People of Surveying
Surveyors, explorers, mapmakers, and the people who shaped the profession.
Space & Planetary Geodesy
Measurement for launch systems, spacecraft navigation, lunar mapping, and planetary reference frames.
Surveying History
The history of land surveying, geodesy, datums, mapping, and measurement.
Technology
The technology in both modern and ancient surveying. From ropes and chains to satellites and radio signals; From papyrus and parchment to Computer Aided Drafting and Laser Scanning - Surveying sits at the forefront of technological advancements.
Uncategorized
General notes and stories awaiting a home in one of our surveying subjects.