The story of Structural Engineering dates back to the very dawn of civilization when man first gave up his nomadic and cave-dwelling existence and began to build structures.
Although the primitive structural engineering efforts would have been very much a trial and error type of operation, it is obvious that the application of science and mathematics to structure began very early. The Pyramids of Egypt that were built between 2700-2500 B.C. represent feats of structural engineering that are not only still standing 5000 years later, but boggle the mind on how they could have been built by such a primitive society. The fact that many people advance theories that the structural engineering work must have been done by Aliens from Outer Space shows the complexity of this construction project.
For most of the early history of structures, no distinction was made between architect and engineer. Indeed, little distinction was made between craftsman and engineer. Yet, the work that would mark the field of structural engineering was being done by the builders of such structural wonders as the Parthenon in Athens or the Appian Way of Rome. The principles of engineering were being developed and the science and understanding of matter and energy were continuing although at a very slow pace.
The organization of craftsmen into guilds that passed on the knowledge of building from generation to generation actually hindered advances in knowledge. The guilds tended to be rigid and not open to change. Even religion seemed to be the enemy of science during so many centuries and some of the most advanced thinkers, and engineers, of ancient times were reviled and unappreciated in their lifetimes.
It is a sad commentary of humankind that the real advances in engineering came in the area of Military Engineering. This trend has really continued into modern times. One example of this was the swamp land just south of Washington, D.C. For almost 50 years prior to the American Civil War, the railroad from Washington to Richmond, Virginia either swung on a wide detour around these swamps, or traveled the final miles by steamboat to avoid them. Yet, military necessity in the war led engineers to find a way to drain the swamps and push the railroad through in a matter of months.
The very term, Civil Engineering, was coined to separate Military Engineering from more peaceful pursuits. It was in 1771, that some men began to call themselves "engineers." In the last century, the tremendous explosion of scientific knowledge and technological advance made the field of Civil and Structural Engineering into distinct professions. This explosion has hardly reached its peak, and it is the Engineers that will guide its force into making things that are "useful to man."
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