Tetrante
From Inventions
Name in use since Roman times, derived from tetrantis (quadrant).
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Inventor
Marco Iunio Nipso
Historic Period
V-VI d.C.
Description
Square-shaped instrument for measuring the width of a river (fluminis varatio) described by Marcus Junius Nupsus (F. Blume and others, 1967, pp. 285-286). The measuring method is similar to the one attributed to Thales of Miletus, used to calculate the distance of a ship from the coastline. In both cases the lines of sight extending from two points along a line parallel to the coast or the riverbank were prolonged on the terrain behind the surveyor, to form a triangle similar or equal to the one having as base the aforesaid line and as vertex the point sighted. A similar instrument serving the same function was described in the eighteenth century by V. de Honnecourt (fol 20r).
Bibliographical Resources
Die Schriften der Römischen Feldmesser. Herausgegeben von Friedrich Blume, Karl Lackmann, Adolf August Friedrich Rudorff. Hindesheim, Georg Olms Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1967, pp. 285-286.
Villard de Honnecourt, Album di disegni. Biblioteca Nazionale di Parigi, ms.19093, c.20r.
Villard de Honnecourt. Kritische Gesamtausgabe des Bauhüttensbuches ms. fr. 19093 der Pariser Nationalbibliotek. Herausgegeben von Hans R. Hahnloser. Wien, A. Schroll, 1935.
Images
Filippo.jpg
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Author of the entry: Filippo Camerota
