MODULE 1 Pre-Historic Architecture PDF

Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts INTRODUCTION History of Architecture  "It is a record of man's effort to build beautifully. It traces the origin, growth and decline of architectural...

Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts INTRODUCTION History of Architecture  "It is a record of man's effort to build beautifully. It traces the origin, growth and decline of architectural styles which have prevailed lands and ages." Historic Styles of Architecture  "The particular method, the characteristics, manner of design which prevails at a certain place and time.“ Six Influences of Architecture  Geographical  Geological  Climatic  Religious  Social  Historic Six Influences of Architecture  Geographical  Geological  Climatic  Religious  Social  Historic ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts MODULE 1: Pre- Historic Architecture Paleolithic, Mesolithic period, Neolithic Period and Architectural type The definition of prehistoric architecture is, quite literally. pre-history references the period before history was written down, prior to any kind of written explanation of culture and civilization. This discussion covers architecture during the period we call the Late New Stone Age. This is a very small segment or cross-section of prehistory. Prehistory basically covers the Old Stone Age, Middle Stone Age, and New Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic) periods, these ages refer to the materials with which tools were made during those periods. So, the earliest tools were made of stone. (Boundless, n.d.) How did people live and build before this period? An architectural typology references a building type is usually an architectural form related to a function, such as train stations, airports, churches, schools, etc. It involves the same type of architectural form repeated for a specific use. Before the Old Stone Age (100,000-50,000 years ago), there were two basic typologies the caves and temporary dwellings. (Boundless, n.d.) This was the type of architecture invented by the primeval man to get shelter and protection:  From variable extreme weather conditions.  From wild beasts and enemies. HISTORY  Direct human ancestors evolved in Africa from 2.3 million years ago - Homo habilis, Homo erectus, homo sapiens, homo sapiens sapiens  The success of the human race was largely due to the development of tools – made of stone, wood, bone  Humans spread from Africa into Southern Europe, Asia  Could not settle far north due to the cold climate  From Siberia by foot into North America ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts  From Southeast Asia by boat into Australia  Before 9000 BC, nomadic life of hunting & food gathering  By 9000 BC, farming and agriculture was practiced  Fertile soil and plentiful food  Animal domestication for work, milk, wool  People wanted to settle down, live in communities  First villages in the Middle East, South America, Central America, India and China RELIGION  No organized religion  The dead are treated with respect - burial rituals and monuments ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER  MATERIALS o Animal skins, wooden frames, animal bones  CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM o Existing or excavated caves o Megalithic, most evident in France, England and Ireland  DECORATION o Caves paintings in Africa, France and Spain o Sculpture The “invention” of architecture Prehistoric architecture is notoriously difficult to reconstruct as most of the materials used by prehistoric man was made of fibrous materials that decay over time. With the earliest human settlements that incorporated some form of architecture dating back as far as 40,000 BCE, there’s very little evidence to work with. A Paleolithic village was successfully excavated in Mezhirich in the Ukraine dating back to approximately 15,000 BCE. The village revealed a cluster of huts made of woolly mammoth bones which provided an intricate framework for structures. (BEE BREEDERS, n.d.) ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts  Prehistoric housing materials As humans began to form settlements during the Mesolithic to the Neolithic era, architecture began to branch out into more distinct architectural forms. As human settlements grew, and communal tasks were divided up, cooperation and collaboration meant that more sturdy structures could be constructed. Most of the structures discovered that date back to this period were made of timber with a post- and-lintel system. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2685554  Prehistoric stone structures Dating back to around 3700 BCE, stone ceremonial structures began to appear across Europe. Circular stone structures known as had a ceremonial function, often serving as permanent tombs. Newgrange in Ireland consists of an elaborate system of passage graves that dates back to 3000 BCE, with a series of burial chambers throughout. The burial chambers are made of large rocks that were placed vertically and then covered with smaller rocks and dirt to https://jasonthompkins.wordpress.com/ create a mound, with many of the construction rocks engraved with abstract geometric designs of circles and spirals.  Geometric forms and designs in prehistoric architecture Though there was little in the way of interior design 5,000 years ago, the very earliest design elements centered on simple geometric forms. This has been seen in the previously mentioned engravings, but also in the arrangement of large stone megalithic structures, the most famous of which is Stonehenge in England. Neolithic structures like Stonehenge were likely inspired by circular shapes such as the sun and the moon or are possibly a reference to the cyclical nature of prehistoric life. The passing of the seasons and the godlike appearance of the sun and moon each day and night were likely to be central to the religious beliefs of Neolithic people. Prehistoric architecture during Paleolithic Period - 30,000 BCE-10,000 BCE The Paleolithic Age, or Old Stone Age, spanned from around 30,000 BCE until 10,000 BCE and produced the first accomplishments in human creativity. Due to a lack of written records from this period, nearly all of our knowledge of Paleolithic human culture and way of life comes from archaeologic and ethnographic comparisons to modern hunter-gatherer cultures. The Paleolithic lasted until the retreat of the ice, when farming and use of metals were adopted. (“The Paleolithic Period | Boundless Art History,” n.d.) PALEOLITHIC DWELLINGS ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts  Structures created in wood and stone.  Fire used on paved hearths.  No buildings for any special purposes but dwellings. Paleolithic Societies A typical Paleolithic society followed a hunter-gatherer economy. Humans hunted wild animals for meat and gathered food, firewood, and materials for their tools, clothes, or shelters. The adoption of both technologies— clothing and shelter—cannot be dated exactly, but they were key to humanity's progress. Dwellings and Shelters Early men chose locations that could be defended against predators and rivals and that were shielded from inclement weather. Many such locations could be found near rivers, lakes, and streams, perhaps with low hilltops nearby that could serve as refuges. Since water can erode and change landscapes quite drastically, many of these campsites have been destroyed. As early as 380,000 BCE, humans were constructing temporary wood huts. Other types of houses existed; these were more frequently campsites in caves or in the open air with little in the way of formal structure. The oldest examples are shelters within caves, followed by houses of wood, straw, and rock. A few examples exist of houses built out of bones. Caves Caves are the most famous example of Paleolithic shelters, though the number of caves used by Paleolithic people is drastically small relative to the number of hominids thought to have lived on Earth at the time. Most hominids probably never entered a cave, much less lived in one. Nonetheless, the remains of hominid settlements show interesting patterns. In the Upper Paleolithic (the latest part of the Paleolithic), caves ceased to act as houses. Instead, they likely became places for early people to gather for ritual and religious purposes. https://www.shorthistory.org/prehistory/language-and-spiritual-culture-in-old-stone-age/ Tents and Huts Modern archaeologists know of few types of shelter used by ancient peoples other than caves. Some examples do exist, but they are quite rare. a house or tent with a frame constructed of mammoth bones. The great tusks supported the roof, while the skulls and thighbones formed the walls of the tent. Several families could live inside, where three small hearths, little more than rings of stones, kept people warm during the winter. ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts https://www.12storylibrary.com/category/prehistoric HUTS- Located in southern French cities.  Oval in shape (8m-15m X 4m-6m).  Built close to seashores.  Built using stakes with stones as supports.  Stout posts along axis.  Floor made of organic matter and ash. MOLODOVA- A more sophisticated sought.  Wood framework covered with skins  Held in place by rough oval mammoth bones  Enclosing 15 hearths. DOLNI VESTONICE- alisade of mammoth bones and tusks set into ground filled with brush wood and turf.  Oval shape(16m x10m)  Limestone used for walls  Central hearth capped with an earthen dome.  Summer structure open to sky. MEZHIRICH - Consisted of foundation wall of mammoth jaws and long bones, capped with skulls. Roofed with tree branches, overlaid by tusks. LEAN TOS- Erected against one wall of cave.  Defined at base by stones(12m x 4m).  Skin curtain and roof draped over posts.  May have two compartments, each having an entrance on the longer side. TENTS- Skirts weighed down with pebbles.  Paved interiors.  Open air hearths.  Wooden posts driven into earth covered with skins.  At a later stage, were secured by reindeer antlers. ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts PIT HOUSES- More common in eastern Europe with severely low temperatures.  Oval trapezoidal, pear shaped size(5m-8m x2.5m- 3.5m).  Central post holes indicating existence of roof.  Constructed by making shallow depressions in the ground surrounded by a ring of mammoth bones and tusks. Prehistoric architecture during Mesolithic Period – 10,000-8,000 B.C Also known as “Middle Stone age”, the Mesolithic period covers a brief time span of about 2,000 years. It served as an important bridge between the upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic age, the art of this period had no relevant artistic connotations in the form of representation in comparison with predecessor times. During the Mesolithic period, humans developed cave paintings, engravings, and ceramics to reflect their daily lives. http://arthistorysummerize.info/Art./mesolithic/ After the end of the Ice Age, man had to change his life habits to adapt to the new ecosystem in which he had to survive. For this, he had to leave the caves and begin to develop architecture to create their homes outside the caves, make new tools of stone, bone and wood to feed with the new animals that appeared in their territories and develop their fishing skills. (Briceño, n.d.) In the development of science and technology of this period, significant advances were made, for example, the creation of means of transport such as sleds pulled by dogs and canoes to travel along rivers, as well as the creation of the microlith industry, with the construction of hunting and fishing tools such as hooks. All the architectural, technological, economic, and social advances of this period are framed in what scientists call the Mesolithic revolution that will have its peak in the Neolithic or New Stone period. During this period, the first cemeteries and burials under the Mesolithic dwellings appeared. The Mesolithic period has the following characteristics:  It is a period that marks the end of the ice age and the beginning of a more temperate climate.  The men of this period change their lifestyles and the first sedentary societies appear.  Colonies and race differences begin to appear.  Fishing began to develop as a form of food.  New tools were created for hunting and fishing, such as hooks, nets and small boats.  It is divided into two stages: The Epipaleolithic which means above the Paleolithic and the Protoneolithic which means period preceding the Neolithic.  The first cemeteries are created. Architecture during Mesolithic period During the Mesolithic period, open-air huts and the first villages appeared. Houses were built with trunks and branches, had a single room and were semi-dug into the ground. They buried dead people in cemeteries near villages or under the floor of their houses. The first Mesolithic populations identified in its initial phase or Epipalaeolithic were:  Azilian located in France, Cantabria and Asturias.  Maglemosian located in the north of Europe.  Ertebølle located in the south of the Scandinavian peninsula). ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts  Ahrensburg located to the northwest of Europe.  Asturian located Iberian Peninsula. Characteristic of Architecture during Mesolithic period  Villages arranged systematically.  Houses aligned in rows.  More regular plans.  Artefacts came into existence.  Settlements began around water bodies.  Fishing, cultivation of cereals and vegetables began.  Animals were domesticated, farming tools were developed.  Dwellings were more durable as compared to that in the Paleolithic age. HUTS The structure mainly comprised of bamboos. Plans were trapezoidal in shape. The size varied from 5.53 m. They had wide entrances facing the water bodies (rivers). Floors were plastered with lime. Posts were reinforced with stones. https://www.abartaheritage.ie/amplify-archaeology-podcast- episode-2-mesolithic-ireland/ PIT HOUSES- Shallow oval pits 6m-9m long and 25m wide. Roofs were made of timber. Stone hearths were used as working slabs. https://faircompanies.com/articles/dugout-shelters-pit-houses-benefits-of-thermal- inertia/ Prehistoric architecture during Neolithic Period – 8,000-3,000 B.C In the New Stone Age, the period known as the Neolithic had its beginning from 8,000 B.C. to 3,000 B.C. The Neolithic is the last stage of the Stone Age after the post-glacial period that forced man to change his life habits and develop another lifestyle ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts linked to the use of land and animals for food and clothing. Its development occurred in the eastern Mediterranean, the Nile valley, Syria and Iraq and also some populations in northern Europe. There are investigations that confirm that the Neolithic was also present in America and Eastern Asia because there is evidence that these continents populations developed agriculture and the use of domesticated animals for food and clothing in those years of prehistory. The term Neolithic has Greek origin and means new stone or polished stone and this name is given because in this prehistoric stage, man began to polish the stone to work better agriculture and livestock. Other specialists in this field call it the age of domestic animals because at this time, man was able to dominate the dog, ox, horse and other animals for his own use. This stage is the last of the Stone Age phases. The Neolithic arises as a consequence of the post- glacial period where climate change led man to modify his life habits and to discover agriculture and livestock to get their food and elements to protect themselves and build their homes. (Gabriela Briceño V., n.d.) Characteristic of Architecture during Neolithic period  the people were great builders.  Many changes took place, they utilized mud-brick to construct houses and villages.  Production of food.  Developments in agriculture lead to settling down.  Dwellings became more sustainable.  Production of food.  Developments in agriculture lead to settling down.  Dwellings became more sustainable.  Houses were built with square/rectangular plans, with sections divided with animal skins. TIMBER FRAMED HOUSES Square plans:25’ x25’ Mud walls with 3’ deep footings. These were more durable as compared to the earlier ones. Pitched and thatched roofs with overhanging caves. Interiors raised, plastered with sunken hearths. http://sharpsocialstudies.weebly.com/neolithic-revolution.html LONG HOUSES Rectangular plans (20’ x26’-150’). Oak posts made the framework covered with clay. Floors were defined with layers of clay over a base of logs. It consisted of 3 types of plans:  TRIPARTITE: Entrance facing the east. Central part being the living room. The third part containing deep storage area.  BIPARTITE: Entrance Living room combined with storage.  SINGLE BAY HOUSES: Having living rooms only. http://www.archaeo3d.com/en/lide-z-dlouhych- domu/lide-z-dlouhych-domu/lide-z-dlouhych-domu/ ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts DRY STONE HOUSES Stone built houses with 3m thick cavity walls. Inner, outer caves were made of dry stones and the interiors were covered with domestic refuse. Rectangular plan with circular corners. Thatched roofs with a smoke hole at the top positioned over central hearth. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/694961786222893614/ Monuments  Settlements lead to building of monumental stone architecture.  These were mainly collective tombs. Such as Passage Graves and Gallery Graves.  Others are Menhirs that can exist as monoliths or a part of group. Collective Tombs https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Passage_graves https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Passage_graves  Passage Graves (upper photo) o A long passage leads to a chamber deep inside. o The walls of the passage are made of large upright slabs. o Covering mound (38m x32m) surrounded by wide space with wide ditch beyond. Entrance passage 1m wide and 1.5m high. burial chamber(5sqm) o Smooth walls built with rectangular blocks and fine joints. o Three cells at three sides of the chamber. Built mainly with masoned walls and corbelled roof. ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts https://www.britannica.com/topic/gallery-grave https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Gallery_grave  Gallery Graves (upper photo) o 23m long chamber divided into twelve sections o Covered with a rectangular mound. o long chamber grave, a variant of the collective tomb burials that spread into western and northwestern Europe from the Aegean area during the final stage of the northern Stone Age. o the gallery graves have small round entrances and are lined with large stone slabs. The tombs are often associated with deities, whose representations are depicted on the rock walls. Menhirs Menhir (literally in Brittany French: a long stone; men-stone, hir-long) is a huge stone standing vertically in the ground. Such stones are usually standing in the middle of a field or arranged in rows, which shows that they were transferred to where they are. The piece of stone stuck in the ground is often a fifth to a quarter of its overall height. The average height of these stones is nine meters. Today it is composed of four fragments lying on the ground where it was found in Carnac (Brittany, France). https://depositphotos.com/64070501/stock-photo-prehistoric-site https://steemit.com/nature/@yo117/menhir The number of megaliths in Carnac is the largest in the world. More than 3,000 are found there, dating to the period between about 5000 to 1000 BCE. The word Carnac probably originates in the word Cairn or Carn - a medieval English term, meaning a pile of stones used as a landmark or as a memorial site. (BERLINER, 2010) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnac_stones o Large, upright standing stones. o Uneven textured, square shaped, tapered towards the top. ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts o May exist as monoliths or a part of group. o Existed as identification marks at burial sites. Dolmens https://www.tripsavvy.com/what-is-a-dolmen-1661396 https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/what-dolmen-irelands-most-burning The word dolmen originates from the expression taol maen, which means "stone table" in Brittany. The first builders used stones that were within their reach. They built dolmens - sort of structures in a form of a "table", consisting of two huge standing stones supporting a horizontal giant stone. Each of the stones weighs several tons, but those huge stone blocks are laid one upon the other without mortar. There were also low dolmens only about 1.5 meters tall. Originally, the dolmens were covered with more stones and earth, but as time went on, only the megalithic structures remained. The dolmen probably served as a grave or as an altar, a table of the gods who were conceived of as giants. There were also found dolmens laid out one after another, in sequence in a form reminiscent of a corridor. o Two or more stones supporting a large one at the top. o Burial features. o Also called cromlechs (brythonic origin). Henges https://www.historyextra.com/period/stone-age/britains-prehistoric https://www.livescience.com/22427-stonehenge-facts.html Stonehenge is a site in southern England, composed of a group of stones arranged in concentric circles. This array of stones is not a single structure, but a series of structures built and rebuilt over a period of about 1,500 years. Research distinguish three phases of construction in Stonehenge. The first was completed in c.2900 BCE, the second took place during the years c.2900 – c.2500 BCE and the third - from c.2550 to c.1600 BCE. ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts This is the best-preserved megalithic site in Europe. It included a large external circle of triliths (only in Stonehenge the dolmens are called triliths; trilith, literally in Greek: three stones), two internal circles built in a similar manner, and altar-shaped stone in the center. In the heart of the inner circle stood a group of stones arranged in a horseshoe shape. The open side of the horseshoe was exactly directing to the point where the sun rises on the longest day of the year. During sunrise, the rays of the sunshine for several minutes exactly into the central axis of the horseshoe. (BERLINER, 2010) The altar stone that must have had kind of spiritual significance, surrounded by a circle of stones and five dolmen menhir structures. The outer circle was a series of post-and- lintel structures, and the inner altar area contained the same structure types in a horseshoe shape around the altar and opening to the sun around the summer solstice as the axis goes through the center. (McIntosh, 2016) https://brewminate.com/prehistoric-architecture/ o Open air ritual structures. o The plan comprised of concentric circles. o An altar located in the center. o Surrounded by five trilithon pairs of stones. Followed by a circle of blue stones. End of the Stone Age The transition out of the Stone Age occurred between 6000 and 2500 BCE. Innovation of the technique of smelting ore is regarded as ending the Stone Age and beginning the Bronze Age. The first highly significant metal manufactured was bronze, an alloy of copper and tin or arsenic, each of which was smelted separately. The transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age was a period during which modern people could smelt copper, but did not yet manufacture bronze, a time known as the Copper Age (or more technically the Chalcolithic or Eneolithic, both meaning 'copper–stone'). The Chalcolithic by convention is the initial period of the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age. REFERENCES: BEE BREEDERS. (n.d.). 4 Simple Concepts of Prehistoric Architecture. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from https://beebreeders.com/4-simple-concepts-of-prehistoric-architecture BERLINER, H. (2010). HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE: PREHISTORIC ARCHITECTURE. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from PREHISTORIC ARCHITECTURE website: http://historyofrchitecture.blogspot.com/2010/12/prehistorian-architecture.html Boundless. (n.d.). Paleolithic Architecture. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from http://kolibri.teacherinabox.org.au/modules/en-boundless/www.boundless.com/art- history/textbooks/boundless-art-history-textbook/prehistoric-art-2/the-paleolithic-period-45/paleolithic- architecture-271-5308/index.html ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2 Far Eastern University 2nd Semester 2020-2021 Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts Briceño, G. (n.d.). Mesolithic | What is, characteristics, economy, architecture, art. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from euston96 website: https://www.euston96.com/en/mesolithic/ Gabriela Briceño V. (n.d.). Neolithic | What is, characteristics, man, tools, economy, art, architecture. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from https://www.euston96.com/en/neolithic/ McIntosh, M. (2016). Prehistoric Architecture – Brewminate. Retrieved November 1, 2020, from https://brewminate.com/prehistoric-architecture/ The Paleolithic Period | Boundless Art History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2020, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory/chapter/the-paleolithic-period/ Prepared by: Checked by and Reviewed by: Cluster Head Ar. Maria Christina Akbar Ar. Daniel Talion Department Chair for Architecture Cluster Members Ar. Raquel L. Baquiran, MSc Arch, UAP, PALA Ar. Ma. Antonia Jennifer E. Nardo, M.Arch Dean Ar. Mar Lorence Ticao Ar. Serknight Benoya ARC 1423: HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 2