VENI VIDI DA VINCI

Collections Newsletter Guild About Developers Patron Sign In

Library/Paris Manuscript L/54

Prev54 / 196Next

Paris Manuscript L — 54

100%

Reset zoom

Bibliothèque de l'Institut de France, Paris

a b g e fia la larghezza del fosso in bocca.

b c fia dove si scarica il terreno.

Diagramma per lo scavo d'un fossato, con:

a r b c - g d e f

In questo principio de' cavamenti de[l] fosso è da situare li omini secondo i punti figurati, e facciasi in prima il cavamento più remoto al loco dove si gitta il terreno, che si po. Come dire: in a g si cavi il terreno e portisi per la linia r c e si scarichi per la linia c f, e si torni indirieto per la linia f d, e si carichi per la linia r d stando sempre in moto. Or qui è sol di moto utile, che rimove il terreno dal loco onde si leva, la linia r c1.

a b g e will be the width of the ditch at its mouth. b c will be where the earth is unloaded.

Diagram for the excavation of a ditch, with:

a r b c - g d e f. At this beginning of the ditch excavations the men are to be positioned according to the points shown, and let the digging farthest from the place where the earth is thrown be done first, as far as possible. As if to say: at a g let the earth be dug and carried along the line r c and unloaded along the line c f, and let one return back along the line f d, and load along the line r d, always staying in motion. Now here the only useful motion, which removes the earth from the place whence it is lifted, is the line r c.

Organising the diggers for a ditch excavation

A lettered plan for moving spoil so the earth is always in motion

Civil Engineering

A lettered bird's-eye diagram of a ditch is drawn across the top of the sheet, with an explanatory text below. Leonardo defines a b g e as the width of the ditch at its mouth and b c as the place where the excavated earth is dumped. He then sets out how to position the diggers by the marked points so that the earth is carried, unloaded and returned along fixed lines (r c, c f, f d, r d), keeping the work always in motion and treating the line r c as the only genuinely useful movement.

On this page

Width of the ditch and where the spoil is dumped

The span a b g e is defined as the width of the ditch at its mouth, and b c as the place where the excavated earth is unloaded. These labels key the plan drawn above the text.

Positioning diggers to keep the earth always moving

At the start of the digging the men are placed by the figured points a r b c and g d e f, and the excavation farthest from the dumping place is done first. The earth dug at a g is carried along line r c, unloaded along c f, and the worker returns by f d and loads along r d, staying always in motion; only line r c, which removes the earth, counts as useful movement.

Reader's Edition — described with AI from the e-Leo transcription.