Prehistoric Architecture Notes PDF

PREHISTORIC ARCHITECTURE A HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE is a record of man’s efforts to build Types of Megalith: beautifully as it traces the origin, growth and decline of styles over centuries and across various settings and cultures. a. Dolmen/Cromlech is a two or...

PREHISTORIC ARCHITECTURE A HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE is a record of man’s efforts to build Types of Megalith: beautifully as it traces the origin, growth and decline of styles over centuries and across various settings and cultures. a. Dolmen/Cromlech is a two or more upright stones supporting a slab or capstone. They served as tomb landmarks. It is concerned with: sheltering man and ministering to his comfort providing structures for man’s varied needs (worship, amusement, business, tombs, etc.) Architecture had a simple origin in the primitive endeavors of mankind. It is an ancient and necessary art and thus the beginnings of architecture are part of prehistory. Why did man seek shelter? b. Stone Circle are upright stones in a circular arrangement. They were 1. Protection used for burials and social rituals. from elements of nature from wild animals 2. Comfort to sleep and rest 3. Food storage 4. Perpetuation of human life Three Cultural Stages in the Evolution of Man: 1. Stone Age c. Stone Row consists of upright stones in a linear arrangement a. Paleolithic perhaps marking a processional route and usually associated with stones and bones as tools stone circles. hunting and food gathering nomadic, lived in caves and rock shelters b. Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age fashioned stone tools like the bow made canoe for fishing built huts from bones, animal hides, reeds and grass c. Neolithic polished stone tools for grinding, cutting and chopping agriculture and domesticated animals built huts of stones and mud practiced burial rituals and built tombs 2. Bronze Age d. Stone Alignment upright stones aligned in many rows metalworking with bronze thought to be religious or scientific in meaning. houses of wood and stones with conical thatched roofs in a farm developed the writing system like the cuneiform and hieroglyphics 3. Iron Age weapons were iron and steel houses of mud, stone and wood with thatched roofs communities lived in hill forts with religious beliefs, traditions and culture Prehistoric Religious and Funerary Structures: 2. Monolith or Menhir is a single, great upright stone. It varies in function from astronomical, 1. Megalith a landmark or a memorial. is a large stone, sometimes forming part of a group. UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 1 1  Examples of Prehistoric Settlements: Stone Tower of Jericho, Palestine (8500-7000 B.C.E.) It is the oldest skyscraper. It forms part of the earliest Neolithic settlement of Jericho, the oldest city on earth. The Tower was linked to the summer solstice—and may have been a symbolic shield against darkness. Catalhoyuk, Turkiye (7500 BC-5700 BC) It is a Neolithic settlement, had rectangular, single-roomed huts with mud-plastered walls and floors. Houses were built touching against each other. They did not have doors and houses were entered through holes on rooftops. Presumably having entrances on the roofs were safer than having 3. Barrow / Tumulus is an earthen mound burial. them on the walls. Skara Brae Neolithic Village, Scotland (3180 BC - 2500 BC) Residents used earth sheltering as insulation from winter, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, 1999. Choirokoitia Neolithic Settlement, Cyprus, (7th-4th millennium BC) The settlement had mud bricks and stone huts and were huddled close together around a courtyard where domestic activities took place. The dead were buried beneath these houses. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, 1998. Prehistoric Pile Settlements around the Alps (5000 to 500 B.C.) is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, 2011. These water settlements were raised above water by stilts. Prehistoric Dwellings : Examples of Religious and Funerary Structures: 1. Rock Shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff. Lanyon Quoit, England is a megalithic burial dolmen. The Stonehenge, England (2750-1500 BCE) The site and its surroundings is a UNESCO World Heritage,1986. It is one of the most famous sites in the world and used as a burial and ceremonial site. Gobeklitepe, Turkey (9,600 - 8,200 BCE) It is believed to be the oldest place of worship / sanctuary. It is older than Stonehenge by 7,000 years. It is a UNESCO World Heritage, 2018. Mnajdra Temple, Malta (3500 – 2500 BC) It is neolithic megalith temple, ceremonial and astronomical 2. Cave is a cavern or a natural void in the ground. observatory. It is a UNESCO World Heritage, 1992. Merrivale Stone Row, England (2500-1000 BC) It is a prehistoric bronze age ritual site. Rudston Monolith, Yorkshire, England The 25’ stone likely marked a prehistoric holy place or worship center. Stenness Stones, Orkney, Scotland is a UNESCO World Heritage, 1999. Calanais Standing Stones, Scotland (2900 and 2600 BC) It is a Neolithic ritual site believed to be 5,000 years old and predates Stonehenge by 2,000 years. It may have been an astronomical observatory or a celestial calendar. Carnac Stone Alignment, France (3,300 BC) Neolithic site with more than 3,000 prehistoric standing granite stones and form the largest such collection in the world. Dilmun Burial Mounds, Bahrain (2200 -1750 BCE) It is the largest prehistoric burial mounds in the world, an UNESCO World Heritage, 2019. Knowth Mounds, Ireland It is a Neolithic burial consisting of 1 big mound and 17 smaller mounds. It is an UNESCO World Heritage, 1993 UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 2 2 3. Cliff Dwelling is formed by carving niches in cliffs. 4. Hut is a temporary shelter of simple construction. Materials can be of tree barks and branches, animal hides, plant materials (thatch, straw), stones, bones, mud or ice. 5.Tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of animal hides or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. It was used as shelter for the nomadic tribes and used as temporary shelters during seasonal movements. Copyright © 2024 by Ar. Ma. Vicenta Sanchez (HOA1 Sub-cluster Head) This handout was produced by the History of Architecture 1 (HOA1) Sub- cluster in preparation for S.Y. 2024-25. These pages and any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used without the written consent of the University of Santo Tomas College of Architecture except for brief quotes or for review UST Architecture | Copyright © 2024 by HOA1 Sub-cluster | No reproduction without written consent of HOA1 Sub-Cluster Page 3 3