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ARC 110
History of Architecture I
Module 2
Prehistoric Architecture
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Module 2 Outline
Lecture 4
Historical Background Location and period
Social characteristics and beliefs
Architecture of the Civilization
Early Stone Age architecture
Lecture 5 New Stone Age architecture
Architectural Characteristics Buildings and other architectural elements
Building materials, construction and technologies
Principles of Architectural Organization
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Leaning Outcome
Learning outcome from the civilization:
Ways of life and dwellings in the earliestperiod of human civilization
The evolution of early buildings and
settlements The evolution of monumental construction
in relation to religion and ritual activities
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Module 2 Lecture 4
Prehistoric Architecture
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Outline of Lecture
Lecture 4
Historical Background Location and period
Social characteristics and beliefs
Architecture of the Civilization Early Stone Age architecture
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Historical Background
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Period
Occurred before invention of written records
Also called Stone Age period because of the
absence of metal implements Occurred from Human Habitation of earth to
9000 BC
Sub-Division of Period: Period can be further subdivided into Early (or
Paleolithic) Stone Age and New (or Neolithic)
Stone Age Early Stone Age- Up to 9000 BC
New Stone Age 9000 BC to 3000 BC
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Location
Not restricted to any particular
geographical region
Occurred in different localities,
Usually close to sources of food, nearrivers
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Sources of Information No written record from the prehistoric period
Information is gathered from scientific studies of
prehistoric objects Many academic disciplines are interested in
studying human civilization- archeology,paleontology, anthropology etc
The disciplines study prehistoric objects
They provide information about civilizationsbased on studies
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Social Characteristics & Beliefs
Ways of life differed between the Early
Stone Age period and the New Stone AgePeriod
We will examine each of the periodsindependently to understand the people
and their society
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Early Stone Age
(Before 9000BC)
Nomadic, always on the move
Move about in search of food,water, and good climate
Got their food through foodgathering, hunting and fishing
Usually move about in smallbands of less than 15 persons
Their lifestyle made thembarely able to survive
Not much is known about theirbeliefs
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New Stone Age
(9000- 3000BC) People stopped wandering
and settled down inpermanent settlements
Discovered art of farming andanimal husbandry
Discovery result of population
pressure Neolithic people acquired
confidence in ability to tame
and control nature Period saw interest in natural
cycles such as of weather andheavenly bodies e.g. that of
the sun and moon
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New Stone Age
(9000- 3000BC)
Learnt to domesticate
animals, farm and growcrops, make pottery andweave cloth
Skills were developed,marking start of civilization
Villages were establishedand grew, protected by
walls
Introduction of basic socialorganization of society
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New Stone Age
(9000- 3000BC) People learnt to differentiate
between spaces and places-
Sacred versus everydayplaces
Architecture was born
Having fulfilled his basicneed, Neolithic man soughtto conquer fear of the
unknown
Needed to understandforces of nature that bothnourishes and destroys
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New Stone Age
(9000- 3000BC) Sought to understand the
heavenly bodies and
weather cycles Sought to control nature
through rituals and magic
Gradually introduced theidea of religion
Confusion about death andlife after death led to
introduction of tombs Tombs are evidence of
social differences in thesociety
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Architecture of the Civilization
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Architecture of the Civilization
Varied by periods
Will be examined according to the periods:
Architecture of the Early Stone Age
Architecture of the New Stone Age
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Early Stone Age Architecture
Introduction
Nomadic people constantly on the move
Did not require permanent shelter orsettlements
Dwellings consist of simple shelters Examples
Rock Shelter Cave Dwelling
Temporary structures of plant and animalmaterials
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Rock Shelter
Rock shelters and
caves providednatural protection
Reconstructed image
to the right shows theuse of rock formationas shelter
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Cave Dwelling
Caves were, however,
more popular asdwelling
Caves used by Stone
Age people have beenfound in many regionsof the world
A good example is thecave at Lascaux in
France
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Cave at Lascaux, France
Discovered in 1940
Used about ten totwenty thousandyears ago
Used by severalgeneration of people
Entered through oneentry to a large hall
From the hall, cavebraches out into otherspaces
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Cave at Lascaux, France
Interior has elaborate
paintings of animalsand hunting scenes
The artwork
celebrates the huntinglife of the early stoneage people
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Cave at Lacaux France
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Cave at Lascaux France
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Cave at Lascaux France
Question
Why did early stone
age people adopt artas a tool ofexpression?
Explanation can befound in constantstruggle between life
and death for survival Art provides a means
to explore the
struggle
T St t
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Temporary Structures
Hut at Terra Amata, France Early stone people constructed
temporary shelters using availablematerials
One of earliest known examplediscovered in 1966 at Terra Amata inFrance
Dates back to 400,000 years Oval in shape and constructed of tree
branches
T St t
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Temporary Structures
Hut at Terra Amata, France Space inside is
organized for differentuses
The hut was used by
a band of people forlimited hunting days
It is left to collapse
after use and newhuts built over by thenext years hunting
season
T St t
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Temporary Structures
Example from the Modern World Degradable materials means buildings
cannot last long Few have survived for us to study them
We can learn by looking at primitivesocieties of the modern age
Evidence show improvement intechnology led to covering of buildings
T St t
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Temporary Structures
Example from the Modern World
Bambuti Hut
The bambutti huts
show evidence of use
of leaves to cover hut
T St t
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Temporary Structures
Example from the Modern World
The Tongus Hut
The Tongus huts showevidence of use of
grass to make huts
Temporary Structures
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Temporary Structures
Example from the Modern World
The Lapp Tent
The Lapp tenth showsthe use of animal skins
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Architecture of the Civilization
Mud Construction
Gradual improvementin technology led to
mud construction and
architecture
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Module 2 Lecture 5
Prehistoric Architecture
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Outline of Lecture
Lecture 5 New Stone Age architecture
Architectural Characteristics Buildings and other architectural elements
Building materials, construction and technologies
Principles of Architectural Organization
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New Stone Age Architecture
Architecture evolved when early StoneAge man became settled
Once settled, he learned to buildpermanent structures
Early dwellings were round beehivehuts
Mud was popular material, thoughconstruction system varied by location
and availability of construction materials
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New Stone Age Architecture
Round huts evolved to rectangular formaround 9000 to 7000 BC
Early villages were simple with nopalaces, rich houses or non-residentialbuildings
Once settled Neolithic man sought to
satisfy his spiritual needs
This led to the construction of monuments
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New Stone Age Architecture
Examples
Neolithic Dwelling and Settlement- CatalHuyuk
Megalithic Monuments
Dolmen Tomb, Carnac France Stone Alignment, Carnac France
Stonehenge, England
Neolithic Dwelling & Settlement-
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Neolithic Dwelling & Settlement
Catal Huyuk Neolithic monument in
present day Turkey
Occupied between 6300BC to 5400 BC
Supported a population of
up to 6000 people
It was the largest andmost cosmopolitan city of
its time
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Catal Huyuk
It had an extensiveeconomy based on
specialized craft andcommerce
The city was a trading
center The size of the city and
its wealth are a product of
its status as a tradingcenter
l k
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Catal Huyuk
Physically CatalHuyuk was highlyorganized withelaborate
architectural features Houses were packed
in one continuous
block punctuated bycourtyards
C l H k
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Catal Huyuk
Houses were of onestory mudconstruction
No streets in
settlement andaccess to houses wasthrough the roof
Movement fromhouse to housethrough the roof
C t l H k
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Catal Huyuk
Houses had mainrooms with in-builtclay furniture, fireplaces and ladder to
the roof
C t l H k
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Catal Huyuk
Many houses havecult rooms decoratedwith bull heads
Some houses appear
to be shrines forworship
M lithi M t
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Megalithic Monuments
Monumental construction by Neolithicman particularly in Europe took the formof megalithic monument
Megalithic means large stone
Megalithic construction involves settingup large stone blocks alone or leaning
against each other Sometimes post and lintel construction
is used
Method of Megalithic Const
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Method of Megalithic Const.
Very similar to the Egyptian pyramids
Stone is quarried from rocks,transported by rollers pulled by people
Lever action is used to lift and placestone in position
The secret of the construction lies inabundance of labor, endurance ofeffort and availability of unlimited time
Categorization of Meg Monuments
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Categorization of Meg. Monuments
Tombs also called Dolmen
Non funereal structures Single stones Menhirs
Stones composed in groups HengeMonuments
Dolmen Tomb Carnac France
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Dolmen Tomb, Carnac France
Dolmen Tomb Carnacis a burial structure
Consist of two uprightstones slabs
supporting ahorizontal cap stone
All are held together
by their weight
Dolmen Tomb Carnac France
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Dolmen Tomb, Carnac France
The remains of a deadperson is place in the
chamber formed by thestone blocks
The entire structure iscovered with a mound ofearth
Stone age people builttombs because of the
belief that dead peopleneeded shelter
Stone Alignment Carnac France
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Stone Alignment, Carnac France
In Carnac is found a uniquestone monument- the stone
alignment The structure consist of
more than 3000 large
stones of local granite limelined up for severalkilometers in
The structure runs east bynorth east in ten to thirteenrows towards a circle
Stone Alignment Carnac France
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Stone Alignment, Carnac France
As objects in space, theheight and mass of the stones
made them visible from adistance and encouragemovement towards them
The structure affords anintermediate experiencebetween openness andenclosure, between
boundless space and a wall The structure represents the
first instance of a principle oforganizing space
Stonehenge Salisbury England
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Stonehenge, Salisbury, England
Neolithic ritualmonument located inSalisbury England
Most celebrated
Monument in England Most important
prehistoric structure in
Europe
Stonehenge Salisbury England
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Stonehenge, Salisbury, England
Well preservedmonument
Subject of a verylively controversy and
theories about itsfunction
Stonehenge Salisbury England
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Stonehenge, Salisbury, England
Alter
Trilithons
The plan ofStonehenge isarranged in the formof concentric circles
At the center is analter
Around it five trilithons
Stonehenge Salisbury England
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Stonehenge, Salisbury, England
Beyond trilithons acircle of blue stonesfrom Wales, 200kmaway
Beyond blue stones,an outer monumentalcircle of large
rectangular blockscapped by continuouslintel
Bluestones
Stonehenge Salisbury England
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Stonehenge, Salisbury, England
Beyond themonumental circle are
56 movable markerstones in the Aubreyholes
The whole monumentis isolated from thelandscape by a trench
A long avenue cutthrough trench to
trilithons
Stonehenge Salisbury England
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Stonehenge, Salisbury, England
Stonehenge Salisbury England
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Stonehenge, Salisbury, England
Stonehenge - Function
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Stonehenge Function
The Stonehengeappears to be a
sacred place
The actual function of
the structure is stillnot clear
Stonehenge - Function
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Stonehenge Function
There are two viable theories:
Structure mirrors cosmic eye of lunar
goddess and outer circle is an elevatedwalkway for rituals
An Astronomical computer for the predictionof the eclipse of the sun and moon
Whatever the case, function is in
someway connected with the cosmos
Stonehenge - Uniqueness
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g q
Why is the Stonehenge a remarkable
monument? Three possible reasons:
It was not constructed to meet any practicalneed of the people
The level of accuracy in its construction
The uniqueness of its geometry and form
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Architectural Characteristics
Bldg Mat., Const & Technologies
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g g
We have explored prehistoric architecture
It is now time to review and extract the unique
characteristics of prehistoric architecture
Characteristics will be examined under three
headings: Buildings and other architectural elements
Building materials, construction an technologies
Principles of architectural organization
Build. and other Arch Elements
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Prehistoric buildings can be categorizedinto three groups
Dwellings and settlements
Funereal and Religious buildings
Ritual structures
Architecture of the Civilization
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Residential building and settlementsvaried between early and new StoneAge periods
Early Stone Age:
Always on the move
Used temporary structures
Provided basic shelter and protection forshort periods of time
Dwellings and Settlements
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g
New Stone Age
Established permanent dwellings and
settlements- Catal Huyuk, J ericho Improvement in house form including change
to rectangular rooms
Introduction of multi-room houses
Introduction of non-residential buildings- for
work, storage & rituals Open village layouts with streets
Increase in number and size of villages
Funereal and Religious Buildings
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Funereal and religious buildings wereintroduced during new Stone Age
Funereal Buildings Were structures such as tombs used for rituals and
burial for the dead
Example we studied is the Dolmen Tomb
Religious Buildings Evidence of the first practices of religion
buildings used for rituals related to worship andreligion
Example is found in the shrines that we sawembedded within Catal Huyuk
Ritual Buildings
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Buildings whose functions are not entirelycertain
Usually associated with ritual ceremonialactivities
Activities may be related to religion Examples are the Stone alignment Carnac
and the Stonehenge, England
Materials, Const Syst & Tech
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Most popular construction materials werewood and tree saplings, leaves, grasses,
adobe, animal skins and stones Availability of material and construction
technology varied between locations Materials and construction technology
also varied between the early and newstone age periods
Materials, Const Syst & Tech
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Early Stone Age Used simple easily available materials
Usually of plant and animal materials such as
wooden poles, grasses, leaves, and animal skins Construction system was also simple
Usually involves digging holes, putting wooden poles
in holes and burying them The poles are tied together to create the shell of the
building
The shell is covered with grasses, leaves or animalskins
There is no evidence of the use of technologies tomodify the interior of the hut
Materials, Const Syst & Tech
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New Stone Age
More diversified construction materials
Adobe and Stone most popular materials for houses Large stone was used for monuments
Construction method also improved over time
Significant improvement in Adobe construction withtime
In Stonehenge is also evidence of ability to quarry,
shape, transport and join large stones to createmonuments
No evidence of the technology to modify interior
conditions
Principles of Arch. Organization
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Possible to categorize principles that giveform to architecture of period into two:
Principles and forces that determine form ofdwellings and settlements
Principles and forces that determine the formof monuments
Principles of Arch. Org.Dwellings and Settlements
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Dwellings and Settlements
Two forces shaped the form of Dwellings andsettlements- functional need and available
construction materials and technology Early Stone Age
Primary requirement is for temporary structure
No desire to invest in construction of dwellings
Constructed dwellings using available materials with
form directly reflecting natural objects
Principles of Arch. Org.Dwellings and Settlements
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Dwellings and Settlements
New Stone Age
Became settled requiring permanent dwellings
Also required durable construction
Desire to improve dwellings and settlements to meetneeds
Desire resulted in change in form of house,introduction of furniture and differentiation of space
Also account for improvement in village form
including introduction of streets
And to improvement in construction technology
Principles of Arch. Org. -Monuments
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Monuments
Function was not an important issue inmonuments
Product of desire to achieve higher emotionaland spiritual needs
Also a symbol of the achievement of society Understanding monument requires
understanding meaning to its creators
Monuments also display an understanding ofarchitectural principles including:
Principles of Arch. Org. -Monuments
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Monuments
Role of geometry in organizing architecturalform
The differentiation of space for differentactivities and uses
Principles of locating objects in space and ofchanneling movement
Principles of space enclosure, including
difference between boundless space and fullenclosure
Monuments represent the first instance of a
principle of organizing space