History of Land Surveying
 
The history of land surveying is as vast and documented as any human endeavor on record. Biblical and pre-biblical references to surveying and ancient boundaries are plentiful, with the Egyptian pyramid builders remaining some of the most famous early surveyors in recorded history.
 
According to www.LandSurveyors.us,  Egyptian surveyors some 3000 years B.C., would survey the lands by the Nile River upon decree of Pharaoh. These prime agricultural plots were then given to the people, who paid Pharaoh an annual tax. Nile flooding, however, would often require the surveyors to re-survey the lands to properly re-instate the Pharaoh's tax. Their accuracy is evident today in the pyramids. The 755 foot base of the Great Pyramid is only a few inches out of square, according to www.LandSurveyors.us, and remains the only surviving member of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World.
 
In land that occupies ancient Babylon, a 3000 year old boundary stone was discovered, and with it the still legible information inscribed upon it. On the stone is written the name of the surveyor and owner of the property, as well as detailed curses for anyone who would dare move or destroy the boundary stone. Biblical texts also speak of  the need to preserve boundary markers, including Deuteronomy 19:14 - "Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it."
 
Land Surveying in the US & Texas
 
Many of the founders of this country, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and other leaders like Abraham Lincoln, were all surveyors. Their work, and that of explorers and frontiersmen, like Lewis and Clark, helped map and define this country, which led to its habitation and prosperity. A terrific archive of early Spanish and Texas Republic land surveying is the Texas General Land Office in Austin. There, land surveyors of today still have access to century and a half old maps and surveys to help in their current work.
 
You can view some of these historic maps at the GLO website. Other places to learn more about the rich history of land surveying include: