Engineering in the Ancient World

4000 BCE Qanat Tunnels

4000 BCE

Qanat tunnels are a system for transporting water from the ground to the surface through an underground aqueduct system. Having the aqueducts underground allows the water to travel over long distances in arid climates without losing a lot of water to evaporation. Qanat tunnels are a series of vertical shafts connected by a gently slopping tunnel. This allows the underground water to flow to the surface by gravity, without the assistance of pumping.

3500-3000 Irrigation Systems

3500 BCE

Sumer created larger communities villages grew into cities to control water supply the Sumerians created a complex irrigation system using canals and dams (2) pic Mesopotamia was not conducive to easy life, the northern part was hilly terrain and received rain. The southern part was low plains and flat land. The plains received a great deal of sun but little rain needed for farming and animal care.

580-530 Gardens

580 BCE

The Achaemenid Persian empire led by Cyrus the great inspired many great engineering innovations. In 550 he built the capital city Pasargadae, now modern Iran. He brought in the best engineering ideas and skills from all over the empire from his conquered people. The skill sets he brought back were relief carvers, stone carvers, and brick masonry workers. One of his greatest accomplishments were two palaces with gardens he commissioned.

530 Bricks

530 BCE

Darius built the palace at Susa palace with brick (4) pic. The palace commissioned by the Achaemenid king Darius in Susa, his preferred capital. The palace complex at Susa was built on raised ground so it could be seen from a far. The complex contained a residential palace, an apadana and a monumental gate. The apadana is similar to that of the one in Persepolis, with the same Persian column topped by two bulls.

518 BCE Throne Hall

518 BCE

The Throne Hall is the second largest building on the Persepolis Terrace only outdone by the Apadana. The Throne Hall also known as the Hundred Column Hall was commissioned by Xerxes and completed by his son Artaxerxes I. The hall is about 200 by 200 and extends hundreds of feet into the air. All of the columns are level and balanced. On the top of each column there are two bulls with their horns as the support for the roof.

518 Percepolis Palace

518 BCE

The Achaemenian palaces a Persepolis were elevated on a terrace platform to be seen from afar. The ground was leveled out so foundations don’t sink and retaining walls were built to provide stability for the place in which to be built on. Today modern buildings use hydraulic tamp hammers to beat the ground down. Cyrus paid the workers prorated based on the skills they brought to the project. They were decorated with ornamental stone relief carvings and gold decorations.

515 BCE Royal Road

515 BCE

The Achaemenid King Darius the Great commissioned the super highway to access and maintain control over his conquered cities throughout the Persian empire. The Royal Road connected the Aegean Sea to modern day Iran and a major intersection connected the cities of Susa, Kirkuk, Nineveh, Edessa, Hattusa and Sardis. The King built the road on top of other existing roads during some of the roadway. The construction was made of stone pavements laid down on top of a level foundation.

500 BCE Canals

500 BCE

The Persian emperor Darius the Great who conquered Egypt had a canal built linking a tributary branch of the Nile River to the Red Sea. It was over 25 meters wide. He built the canal East to West for 130 miles long. The canal was not only made of water but also used horses to pull the ships over dry land for some of the parts. The voyage on the canal was about a four day journey from its start in Egypt to the Red Sea.

400 BCE Yakhchal

400 BCE

Building upon the qanat technology, allowed for the ancient evaporation cooler, also known in the modern day as refrigeration. The meaning of Yakhchal means Ice Pit. They were constructed of heat resistant materials and made in conical beehive shapes. During the winter months, water would be provided from the qanat and left to freeze in the basement. The frozen ice was then cut into blocks and stored for year round use. This made it possible to store large quantities of ice.

353 BCE Tomb of Mausolus

353 BCE

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is a tomb built for the Achaemenid Empire Mausolus. It is an elevated tomb structure. It is around 148 ft heigh with four sides incorporating sculptural reliefs. It is considered on of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world due to its aesthetics and symmetry. The tomb was inspired by the monument of Xanthos in the ancient city of Lycia, Turkey, the Xanthos is a much smaller scale then the tomb.