Prehistory and First Forms of Housing

Paleolithic Period

• Majority of Paleolithic habitats had monumental constructions made with mammoth bones and animal skins.
• Man during the Paleolithic period was characterized by adapting to each region and creating a type of habitat typical to each region.
• The peculiarity of man during the Paleolithic period was adapting to each region.

Mesolithic Period

• The innovation that became widespread on the European continent during the Mesolithic period was not specified.

Neolithic Period

• Hunting frames were made of wood.
• The main technical innovation in the Neolithic period was the substitution of polished stone for earlier tools.
• The most representative elements of the Neolithic period are dolmens, megaliths, and monumental architecture.
• Dolmens served as tombs and sometimes as dwellings.
• The basis of the two original architectural systems mentioned in the text is not specified.
• The first dwelling that came out of the hands of man was probably a primitive hut made of animal skins and branches.
• A type of insulating structure appeared very early on, making lake cities possible, which was a platform on stilts.
• Polished stone was substituted for earlier tools, indicating a more continuously progressive path for humanity.
• The period marked by profound technical and social changes, linked to the adoption by human groups of a production economy based on agriculture and livestock, is the Neolithic period.
• Arrows with stone or bone tips were used as projectiles for hunting small mammals and eating molluscs during the Neolithic period.

Mesopotamian Architecture

• The main construction material used in Mesopotamian architecture was clay bricks.
• The Sumerians were the first to use the architectural innovation of arches.
• The city of Ur was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, with buildings and walls made of clay bricks.
• Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
• The capital city of Khorsabad during the period 1800 to 300 BCE was part of the Assyrian civilization.
• The function of a ziggurat was a temple or a shrine.
• Limestone and sandstone were reserved for door sills, decoration, paving, and column capitals in Assyrian buildings.
• A widespread decorative element in Assyrian architecture was the use of glazed tiles.
• Mesopotamian cities were built near rivers to provide water, transportation, and fertile soil for agriculture.
• The primary material used for Assyrian buildings was clay bricks.
• The orientation of Mesopotamian cities in relation to the stars was significant for astronomical and astrological purposes.
• The purpose of external walls around Mesopotamian cities was for defense and protection.
• The primary function of palaces in Mesopotamia was for the residence of the ruler and the administration of the city.
• Early Mesopotamian houses had a central space at the heart of domestic life, which was the courtyard.