HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I: Pre Historic Architecture By: Archt. Chris Luna, uap A history of architecture is a record of man’s efforts to build beautifully. It is concerned not only in sheltering man and ministering to his comfort, but also in providing him with places for worship, amusement, and business; with tombs, memorials, embellishments for his cities, and other structures for the varied needs of a complex civilization. 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? 1. Protection • from elements of nature • from wild animals 2. Comfort • to sleep & rest 3. Food storage 4. Perpetuation of human life
b. Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age • fashioned stone tools like the bow • made body coverings from animal hides • made the canoe for fishing • built huts from bones, animal hides, reeds & grass c. Neolithic Once human beings settle down to the business of agriculture, instead of hunting & gathering, permanent settlements become a factor of life & story of architecture can begin. • polished stone tools for grinding, cutting & chopping • development of pottery • agriculture (wheat & barley) & domesticated animals • sew clothing from animal hides using fish bones as needles • built huts of stones & mud with thatched roofing • practiced burial rituals & built tombs 2. Bronze Age • most advanced copper
3 Stages in the Cultural Evolution of Man 1. Stone Age 3-Stage Chronology: a. Paleolithic or Old Stone Age • used stone and bone as instr uments • livelihood from hunting & food gathering • learned to m ake fire • lived in caves & rock shelter s
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metalworking
with
3. Iron Age • cutting tools and weapons were mainly made of iron or steel
b. Stone Circle
Court Tomb, Ireland
Stonehenge is one of the most famous sites in the world & composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones. PREHISTORIC RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES A. Megalith is a large stone used to construct a structure either alone or together with other stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement. a. Dolmen/Cromlech • 2 or more upright stones supporting a stone or stone slab.
The Stonehenge site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1986.
Wedge Tomb, Ireland
Stonehenge Plan
Archaeological evidence indicates that the Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its earliest beginnings.
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c. Stone Row
C. Barrow/Tumulus is an earthen mound burial.
Tumuli, Gyeongju, Korea has 23 royal tombs from the Silla Dynasty
PREHISTORIC DWELLINGS 1.
Rock Shelter is a shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff.
Merrivale Stone Row, England
B. Monolith or Maenhir is a great upright stone.
Rock Shelter at Lane Cove, NSW, Australia
2.
Cave
Avebury Monolith, England
Jenolan Caves, NSW, Australia
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3.
Cliff Dwelling
Katal Huyuk, Turkey, were rectangular, singleroomed with mud-plastered walls & floors.
Guyaju Cliff Dwelling, China
4.
Access was by ladder from the roof. There were no roads but everybody walked on each other’s roof.
Hut
Clochan Beehive Hut, Ireland
Mud Huts, Syria
Terra Amata Hut, France
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Eskimo Igloo, Alaska
Apache Wickiup (grass & reeds)
5.
Tent
Tuareg Tents (Camel & Goat Hides)
Native American Wigwam
Prehistoric Mammoth Bone Hut, Ukraine
Native American Tipi (Animal hide)
Topic Sources and References: th History of Architecture 20 edition Sir Banister Fletcher, Architectural Press, 1996. Pre-historic Architecture PowerPoint Arch. Ma. Vicenta Sanchez, UST College of Architecture Various internet articles related to the topic
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