Geotechnical Engineering— A Historical Perspective I
Recorded history tells us that ancient civilizations flourished along the banks of rivers, such as the Nile (Egypt), the Tigris and Euphrates (Mesopotamia), the Huang Ho(YellowRiver, China), and the Indus (India). Dykes dating back to about 2000 B.C. were built in the basin of the Indus to protect the town of Mohenjo Dara (in what became Pakistan after 1947). During the Chan dynasty in China (1120 B.C. to249B.C.) many dykes were built for irrigation purposes. There is no evidence that measures were taken to stabilize the foundations or check erosion caused by floods (Kerisel,1985). Ancient Greek civilization used isolated pad footings and strip-and-raft foundations for building structures. Beginning around 2750 B.C., the five most important pyramids were built in Egypt in a period of less than a century (Saqqarah, Meidum, Dahshur South and North, and Cheops). This posed formidable challenges regarding foundations, stability of slopes, and construction of underground chambers. With the arrival of Buddhism in China during the Eastern Han dynasty in 68 A.D., thousands of pagodas were built. Many of these structures were constructed on silt and
soft clay layers. In some cases the foundation pressure exceeded the load-bearing capacity of the soil and thereby caused extensive structural damage.
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Pendahuluan
Apakah yang dimaksud dengan tanah?
Definisi tentang tanah yang dipergunakan oleh seorang insinyur sipil agak berbeda degan definisi yang digunakan oleh seorang ahli geologi, soil scientist ataupun orang awam. Seorang insinyur sipil menganggap tanah termasuk semua bahan organik dan anorganik yang ada diatas bedrock. Terdapat banyak perbedaan dasar dalam terminologi dan definisi yang digunakan mengklasifikasikan dan menjelaskan perlikau tanah secara fisika dan kimia.
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