ABSTRACT
The history of engineering design can be traced back to the construction of the first known Egyptian pyramid, Saqqara, in 2650 B.C. It was built by Imhotep, who, thus, was perhaps the first design engineer. Because engineering drawings are considered to be the backbone of modern engineering designs, their history could be traced back to 4000 B.C. when the Chaldean engineer Gudea engraved the plan view of a fortress on a stone tablet [3]; thus, it is the oldest surviving technical drawing. Nevertheless, the written evidence of use of technical drawings only goes back to the Roman period; for example, Vitruvius, a Roman architect, wrote a treatise on architecture in 30 B.C. In a modern sense, the first book on engineering drawings, entitled Geometrical Drawings, was written by an American named William Minifie in 1849. Since that time a great many people have contributed to both engineering design and drawings, and this chapter describes various introductory aspects of engineering design.
