Land surveying is probably the oldest professions on the planet. Ever since man has decided a part of land should belong to a tribe, the necessity for surveying began.
Land surveying is fascinating. The techniques used seek to decide which section of land belongs to whom, hopefully ending arguments forever.
The bottom line is, surveying is a process using mathematical means to survey land.
The initial accounts of surveying land goes back to ancient Egypt. Experts have found evidences that the ancient Egyptians used basic geometry to redraw the lines of boundary once the Nile River overflowed. An Egyptian land register dating back to 3000 BC was also found.
Following the Egyptians, the Romans - also the most powerful civilizations of the ancient world - practiced land surveying. They took it one step further and made "land surveyor" an official position within the Empire. These were called agrimensores, generally known as Corpus Agrimensorum Romanorum. Although they used very easy tools, these were very thorough with their jobs and would create straight lines and correct angles by using these tools. Following the lines were measured, they would create shallow ditches to mark the lines. Actually, some of the furrows they made remain today.
One of many recorded land surveying of the "modern" times is that of William the Conqueror who wrote the Domesday Book in 1086. This book is truly a set of names of land owners, how much land they owned and other information regarding the land. Although it was an amazing level of information during this time period, the bits of information were not 100% correct. The locations weren't accurate and the maps weren't made to scale.
One of history's greatest icons was also an avid surveyor - Napoleon Bonaparte. The interest in surveying land was actually just something of his desire to conquer the world. Napoleon Bonaparte founded a registry called the cadastre. This includes a registry of properties of a county, ownership details, locations and as much information regarding the land's value. Yes, Napoleon Bonaparte can be considered a land surveyor - and an extremely smart man.
The techniques useful for land surveying have also evolved over the centuries. https://surveyorsyorkshire.co.uk/best-utility-surveys-yorkshire/ , people would use anything that may help them determine the distance from one indicate another. This means using chains with links and also ropes. Needless to say, this didn't give accurate results but they didn't have the technology we've back then.
Today, land surveyors have the very best technologies to help them making use of their job. There is GPS, or Global Positioning System, that is just about the most accurate technologies used today. Total stations are also essential to a land surveyor, which employs using an EDM or Electronic Distance Measurement device plus a theodolite that allows for more precise angle and distance measurements.