Search results
The dioptra became the standard surveying instrument of the Greeks and, although no actual example has yet been found (or at least identified), we can discover a surprising amount about its design and employment by tapping sources hitherto almost untouched.
This chapter looks more closely at the form and capabilities of the dioptra, the methods of surveying proposed by Hero, and the reasons for the limitations in its design and use.
Dioptra The dioptra was a different kind of level. It rested on the ground, and was finely adjusted by tilting and rotating the top part by means of precision screws, it could assess the angle of a stretch of aqueduct by looking through pivoting sights (O'Conner 1993: 45). See the illustration of a dioptra.
A dioptra (sometimes also named dioptre or diopter, from Greek: διόπτρα) is a classical astronomical and surveying instrument, dating from the 3rd century BC. The dioptra was a sighting tube or, alternatively, a rod with a sight at both ends, attached to a stand.
tises on the dioptra of Hellenistic Greece and the Corpus Agrimensorum of imperial Rome, our information is deplorably scanty. For some topics, like measuring cords and plumb-line levels which
Dioptra is where the skill of the Roman surveyors came to the fore. The Dioptra consisted of a circular table affixed to a tripod or monopod, and this was calibrated with angles.
It explores the history of surveying instruments, notably the Greek dioptra and the Roman libra, and with the help of tests with reconstructions explains how they were used in practice. This is a subject which has never been tackled before in anything like this depth.
