HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

LECTURE 1
Introduction: Prehistoric Architecture
Early Human Migration out of Africa

Earliest Homo Sapien

fossils have been
found in Ethiopia

North America South America

East & South
Africa West Asia Europe
Asia
Australia
Early Human Migration out of Africa

The earliest people to colonize the

Eurasian landmass probably did so across
the Bab-al-Mandab Strait separating
present-day Yemen from Djibouti
Development of Early Culture

Living in caves - hunting

Settlements developed near caves or along

shores and streams – farming & hunting

Understanding of seasons – Cultivation –

Domestication of animals

Specialized tools were developed. Religious &

communal aspects – building arts developed

Different societies developed differently

 natural determinants
topography (location)
climate
natural resources, building materials and technology

man-made determinants
trade
political power
religion
defense
mobility
ethnical issues
Etc
Circular Layout
Primitive Settlements

Non - organized settlements organized settlements

“And when we saw all those cities and villages built in
the water and other great towns on dry land, and that
straight and level causeway leading to Tenochtitlan, we
were amazed…Indeed, some of our soldiers asked if it
was not all a dream” (Spanish chronicler, Bernal Diaz
del Castillo) – describing Aztec Chinampa agriculture
DISCOVERY

OF

FIRE
DISCOVERY OF WHEEL
In Popular Culture: Flintstones

“ZERO ENERGY” HOUSE

P a l e o l i t h i c C a v e P a i n t i n g s , To o l s

Apollo 11 cavestones – 25,500 B.C.E

Rock painting – Ubirr,

Australia

Lascaux, France – 30,000 B.C.E

Principles of Architectural Organization

Two forces shaped the form of dwellings and

settlements:
• Functional need
• Available construction materials and technology
Religion, Culture, Architecture

Mediterranean Mother Goddess, fertility cult

Mesopotamia Fertility cult, slowly replaced by a complex

set of Gods
Egypt Complex set of Gods

China Shamanistic (vast network of villages)

• Different regions developed with different environmental and social factors

• Architecture differed – Buildings for the dead, buildings for the living, temples, granaries, etc.
Architecture of the Civilization
NEW STONE AGE
• Established permanent dwellings and
settlements – Catal Huyuk, Jericho
• 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
Architecture of the Civilization
• Funerary and religious buildings were
introduced during new Stone Age

FUNERARY BUILDINGS
• Structures such as tombs used for rituals and
burial for the dead
• Example we studied is the Dolmen Tomb
Architecture of the Civilization
RELIGIOUS BUILDINGS
• Evidence of the first practices of religion
• Buildings used for rituals related to worship
and religion
• Example is found in the shrines embedded
within Catal Huyuk
Architecture of the Civilization
RITUAL BUILDINGS
• Buildings whose functions are not entirely
certain
• Usually associated with ritual ceremonial
activities
• Activities may be related to religion
• Examples are the Stone Alignment, Carnac and
the Stonehenge, England
Building Materials, Construction & Technologies

Characteristics of prehistoric architecture will

be examined under three headings:

Building materials,
Building Types construction and
technologies

Principles of
architectural
organization
Building Types

Categories of Prehistoric buildings

• Dwellings and settlements
• Funerary and Religious buildings
• Ritual structures
 Vocabulary

Neolithic: the “new” Stone Age (8,000 – 2300 BCE), which

marked the beginnings of monumental (extremely large)
architecture

corbeled vault: a vault formed by the piling of stone blocks in

horizontal courses, cantilevered inward until the two walls meet
in an arch

post and lintel: one of the earliest methods of architectural

construction in which two posts (sometimes called “uprights”)
support a lintel (horizontal beam which rests across the top)
 Vocabulary

megalith: a large stone used in the construction of a prehistoric

structure

Cromlech: a circle of megaliths, as at Stonehenge

Prehistoric Architecture

• 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
Prehistoric Architecture

• The history of man can be classified into different

stages and with it corresponding structures were built:
1. Savage stage or the Old Stone Age or the Paleolithic
age. Up to 9000 BC
2. Barbarian stage or the New Stone Age or the
Neolithic age. 9000 BC to 3000 BC
3. Iron or Bronze Age
Prehistoric Architecture
• Not restricted to any particular geographical region
• Occurred in different localities
• Usually close to sources of food, near rivers
Architecture of the Civilization
• Residential building and settlements varied
between early and new Stone Age periods

EARLY STONE AGE

• Always on the move
• Used temporary structures
• Provided basic shelter and protection for short
periods of time
Principles of Architectural Organization

DWELLINGS AND SETTLEMENTS:

EARLY STONE AGE
• Primary requirement is for temporary structure
• No desire to invest in construction of dwellings
• Constructed dwellings using available materials
• Form directly reflecting natural objects
Materials, Construction System & Technique
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 animal
skins
The Old Stone Age
• Before 9000 BC
• Where people used crude stone for their implements.
• Man was a hunter and a food gatherer
• Got their food through food gathering, hunting and fishing
• Constructed temporary shelters from perishable materials
such as tree trunks and leaves.
• He also made use of natural and man-made caves both
below and above ground as shelter.
The Old Stone Age
• The method of living was temporary
• Nomadic, always on the move
• Move about in search of food, water, and
good climate
• Usually move about in small bands of
less than 15 persons
• Their lifestyle made them barely able
to survive
• Not much is known about their beliefs
Great stone tower built into
the settlement wall, Jericho,
ca. 8000-7000 BCE

Neolithic Jericho was protected by 5-foot-thick walls and at least one

stone tower 30 feet high and 33 feet in diameter. An outstanding
achievement that marks the beginning of monumental architecture.
The New Stone Age

History of
Handmade
Cave Dwellings Architecture
shelters
began

•When early man emerged from

cave dwellings into shelters
created by his hands
•The history of architecture
began .
The New Stone Age
• Lasted from 8,000 to 3,000BC
• People used polished stone for their implements
• Their method of housing was made more permanent with
the use of durable materials.
• Discovered art of farming and animal husbandry
• People become more domesticated and were
preoccupied with cattle raising and planting
• Learned to domesticate animals, farm and grow crops,
make pottery and weave cloth
The New Stone Age
• Neolithic people acquired confidence in
ability to tame and control nature
• Period saw interest in natural cycles such as
of weather and heavenly bodies
• e.g. sun and moon
• People learned to differentiate between
spaces and places – sacred versus
everyday places
• Architecture was born
The New Stone Age
• Having fulfilled his basic need, Neolithic man sought to
conquer fear of the unknown
• Needed to understand forces of nature that both nourishes
and destroys
• Sought to understand the heavenly bodies and weather
cycles
• Sought to control nature through rituals and magic
• Gradually introduced the idea of religion
• Confusion about death and life after death led to
introduction of tombs
• Tombs are evidence of social differences in the society
The New Stone Age
• Skills were developed, marking start of
civilization
• People stopped wandering and settled down in
permanent settlements
• Discovery: result of population pressure
• Introduction of basic social organization of
society
• Villages were established and grew,
protected by walls
Materials, Construction System & Technique
NEW STONE AGE
• More diversified construction materials
• Adobe and stone most popular materials
• Large stone was used for monuments
• Construction method also improved over time
• Significant improvement in Adobe construction
• Evidence of ability to quarry, shape, transport
and join large stones to create monuments
Principles of Architectural Organization
DWELLINGS AND SETTLEMENTS:
NEW STONE AGE
• Became settled requiring permanent dwellings
• Required durable construction
• Improved dwellings and settlements to meet needs
• Change in form of house, introduction of furniture
and differentiation of space
• Improvement in village form including introduction
of streets
• Improvement in construction technology
Corbeled vault of the main
chamber in the passage
grave, Newgrange, Ireland,
ca. 3200-2500 BCE

The Newgrange passage

grave is an early example of
corbeled vaulting. The huge
stones (megaliths) of the
dome of the main burial
chamber beneath the tumulus
are held in place by their own
weight.
 Aerial view of ruins of Hagar Qim, Malta, ca. 3200-
2500 BCE

One of the earliest stone temples in the world is on the

island of Malta. The 5,000-year-old structure is
remarkably sophisticated for its date, especially in the
combination of rectilinear and curved forms.
Stonehenge
(3100-2000 BC)

Wiltshire,
England
 Aerial view (looking northwest) of Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain,
England, ca. 2550-1600 BCE. Circle is 97’ in diameter; trilithons 24’
high.
The circles of trilithons at Stonehenge probably functioned as an
astronomical observatory and solar calendar. The sun rises over its
“heel stone” at the summer solstice. Some of the megaliths weigh 50
tons.
 Prehistoric Architecture: Stonehenge

• Neolithic architecture
• Post and lintel construction
• Megaliths are 21 to 24 feet tall, including height of lintel,
and buried four feet in the ground
• Cromlech – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromlech
• Solar and lunar orientation
• Stones dragged from far away to this site
• Circle of megaliths embrace structure, enclosing it
Functions of Stonehenge:

• Cremation / burial site

• Astrological observatory

• Solar calendar

• Sacred site
 Several
Phases
(stages)
of Cons-
truction
The lintels (horizontal monoliths) were fitted to one another using a
woodworking method, the “tongue-and-groove joint”
Bronze Age
• Started around 2,000BC, when iron was
discovered.
• Carpentry and masonry was practiced.
• There was a gradual improvement in the
design of buildings, particularly in Egypt.
Huts from vegetation

• Space inside is organized for different uses

• The hut was used by a band of people for limited hunting
days
• It is left to collapse after use and new huts built over by
the next years hunting season
Temporary Structures:
Hut at Terra Amata, France

•Early stone people constructed temporary

shelters using available materials

•One of earliest known example

•Discovered in 1966 at Terra Amata in France

•Dates back to 400,000 years

•Oval in shape and constructed of tree branches

HUTS
Bambuti Hut –huts show
evidence of use of leaves to
cover hut

The Tongus Hut –show evidence

of use of grass to make huts
Tents from Animal Skin
The Lapp Tent
The Lapp tenth shows the use of animal skins
Mud Construction
• Improvement in technology led to mud construction and
architecture
 Brushwood Hut

Wood framed
huts
Round House, Israel

Stilt House
Tepees of American Indians
trullo: Southern Italy
yurts : Mongolia
Neolithic Dwelling & Settlement: Catal Huyuk
• Neolithic monument in
present day Turkey
• Occupied between 6300
BC to 5400 BC
• Supported a population
of up to 6000 people
• Largest and most
cosmopolitan city of its
time
Catal Huyuk
• Had extensive economy
based on specialized
craft and commerce
• The city was a trading
center
• The size of the city and
its wealth are a product
of its status as a trading
center
Settlement, Catal Huyuk, Turkey