The history of earthworks: from tumuli to the great dams – 6,000 years of earthworks

Any act of construction, any development undertaken to meet the needs of mankind begins with earthworks.

French North canal earthworks, XIXth century

Earthwork constructions can be seen by satellite.

Earthwork constructions can be linear: pathways and roads, canals, railways... or concentrated: dams, factories, airports, seaports...

THE HISTORY OF EARTHWORKS, is a history of
• Developments that have been made to meet the needs of mankind
• The men who engineered them - from the labourers to the great designers and engineers
• The tools and materials used - from the very first tools to modern machinery

"The Earth tells us more about ourselves than all books put together, because she resists us. Man discovers himself when he comes up against obstacles. " Antoine de Saint-Exupéry."