How old is the engineering profession

The Ancient Romans built aqueducts to bring a steady supply of clean and fresh water to cities and towns in the empire. Other monuments, no longer standing, such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon , and the Pharos of Alexandria were important engineering achievements of their time and were considered among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The earliest civil engineer known by name is Imhotep. The Antikythera mechanism , the first known mechanical computer , [8] [9] and the mechanical inventions of Archimedes are examples of early mechanical engineering. Ancient Chinese, Greek, Roman and Hungarian armies employed military machines and inventions such as artillery which was developed by the Greeks around the 4th century B. In the Middle Ages, the trebuchet was developed. The first steam engine was built in by Thomas Savery.

With the rise of engineering as a profession in the 18th century, the term became more narrowly applied to fields in which mathematics and science were applied to these ends. Similarly, in addition to military and civil engineering, the fields then known as the mechanic arts became incorporated into engineering.

The International Space Station represents a modern engineering challenge for many disciplines. The inventions of Thomas Newcomen and James Watt gave rise to modern mechanical engineering. The development of specialized machines and machine tools during the industrial revolution led to the rapid growth of mechanical engineering both in its birthplace Britain and abroad. He was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges , canals , harbours , and lighthouses.

ICE archives contain records relating to the ICE from its formation to the present including details of all past members. Our archives also include records relating to famous engineers from the past, including James Brindley, John Smeaton, Thomas Telford, the Rennies, as well as world famous structures such as Brunel's Thames Tunnel or the Panama Canal.

Provided you arrange an appointment beforehand, our archives are open to the public. If you're interested in visiting, then please contact our Archivist, Carol Morgan:. Download a copy of our Guide to the Archives. If you're interested in knowing more about our history, then the ICE Library is the place to go.

One of the world's most complete sources of civil engineering literature, our library contains historical archives going back over years. From information about individual members, to details about how we're run, our library staff can provide help.

Find out more about the ICE library. ICE's library is home to one of the world's largest collections of civil engineering materials. We've also built up a huge collection of images chronicling the history of civil engineering. From sketches of some of the most famous structures in the UK and abroad, to portraits of famous civil engineers.

Many of these images are available for free, whilst we also provide access to high resolution versions on a per request basis. One early example of an activity that we now call engineering was the construction and improvement of the aqueduct system that transported water in and around Rome starting in the fourth century BC.

A project of that scope today would be largely the responsibility of engineers. These special military architects would generally let craftsmen do the actual construction, thus becoming the first true engineers in the modern sense of the word. Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, new processing methods - most notably for steel and petroleum - reshaped transportation, construction, and manufacturing.

Advances were made in all areas, including technologies that transformed everyday activities. For example, in:. Up until the Civil War, United States engineers were trained at military academies or through industry apprenticeship programs.

For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology opened in with 15 students. The Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century website lists 20 ways in which engineering has transformed our world. In the 20th century, engineering quite literally electrified the nation. It took us into the sky and out into space.