As soon as humans advanced past the nomadic phase of evolution, they have built permanent structures that still withstand the test of time. Ancient engineering marvels, created by cultures around the world, have withstood the test of time because of their careful planning, hard work and craftsmanship. From the irrigation systems designed by American Indians to bring water to their dry desert home, to the massive palace known as Machu Picchu built high up in the Andes Mountains, Ancient civilizations have built some engineering masterpieces even by today’s standards. Although we might not know exactly how the Incas got those huge, perfectly cut rocks up to the top of a mountain or how much planning went into the Taj Mahal or even how much tradition goes into the upkeep of the Ise Grand Shrine in Japan or the Djenne Mosque in Mali, we can closely analyze clues left at these sights and research techniques used to accomplish these tasks. There is a lot to be learned about each and every one of these engineering feats and the ancient technology used then are still being used now and will continue to be for the rest of our foreseeable future. Engineering from a cultural perspective can be defined as a way of building structures, and using technology to develop new and innovative ways to further the advancement of all cultures all around the world.
Defining Engineering
To me, the definition of an engineer is someone who builds or design structures or machines. This definition fits many of the topics we have covered in this class: sacred structures like the Hagia Sophia, the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, or the Great Mosque of Djenne. Engineers also designed ancient water structures. Most of the things we have covered in this class fall into the category of civil engineering. They design cars, houses, buildings, roads, dams, bridges; the list goes on.
Although my definition of engineers is close to the literal definition, I think that you can engineer things that are not material like buildings or bridges or roads. I think people can be engineers of ideas, and how we construct these ideas and put them to action falls on constructing or building them. This is how we have “engineered the past”. There were some pretty amazing structures built in the past, but people have also engineered concepts, such a political systems or education.
Define Engineering
From what I’ve gathered so far in the class, I would define engineering as style or method to go about a certain problem. For example, we’ve studied how the agriculture of the Mayans and how they built their whole culture around farming. Since most of the population were farmers they centered it very close to them, even having a god tied to it. This class incorporates the many styles of engineering from several different cultures. We as humans have always studied this, in hope of finding more new and improved ways to society. Connecting this to our resent topic with water, Americans are fighting the war of drought and we as students can potentially fix this in the new future. Even if it may not be a problem you can fix as an individual, the knowledge will surely help with other problems we may face.