Prehistorical architecture

History of Architecture : Prehistorical architecture

1. History Of Architecture
PREHISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE TILL

2. Prehistorical Architecture
•Prehistorical Era as known as the Stone age can be
c
ategorize into three main sub Eras
•Paleolithic Era or Old Stone Age (2.5 millions years ago)
•Mesolithic Era or Middle Stone Age (15000 years ago)
•Neolithic Era or New Stone Age (11000 years ago)

3. Paleolithic Era
•The P is a prehistorical period of human history distinguished
by the development of the most primitive stone tools,
•It extends from the earliest known use of stone tools, 2.6 million years
a
go, till around 10,000 B.
•Dwellings of the P
aleolithicEra can be caterorizedinto 5 types, these
structures are created in wood, stones and the skin and bones of their
prey.

4. PaleolithicDwellings
-Caves
-The oldest and most
c
ommon types of dwellings
-Natural underground
s
paces, large enough for
human
-Example: Rock shelters,
Gr
ottos and Sea Caves
-Huts
-Located in southern French
C
ities
-Oval in shape
-Built close to sea shores
-Built using stakes with
s
tones as supports
-Stout posts along axis
-Floor Made of organic
m
atter and ash
-Molodova
-A more sophisticated
s
ought
-Wood framework covered
w
ith skins, held in place by
rough oval mammoth
bones, enclosing 15 hearths
-Mezhirich
-Consisted of foundation
w
all of mammoth jaws and
long bones, capped with
skulls
-Roofed with tree branches,
o
verlaid by tusks
-Pit Houses
-More common in eastern
E
urope with severely low
temperatures
-Central post holes
i
ndicating existence of roof
-Constructed by making
s
hallow depressions in the
ground surrounded by a
ring of mammoth bones
and tusks

5. Mesolithic Era
•Villagesa systematically.
•Housesalig
rows.Moreregularplans.
•Artefactsc
intoexistence.
•Settlementsb
eganaroundwaterbodies.Fishing,cultivationofcereals and
vegetablesbegan.Animalsweredomesticated,farmingtoolsweredeveloped.
•Dwellingsw
eremoredurableascomparedtothatinthePaleolithicage.

6. Mesolithic Era
•MesolithicE racomesaftertheendPaleolithicEra,itwelcomesanage
of forests, asmanyforestsbeginstodevelop.Thisestablishment of
forestsleadtoadifferencesinbehaviourandpatternsofpeople.
•People be
morenomadicwith new mobility,duetotheendof
theIceage.
•Thea
toreflectthislesshostileperiodoftime,
moretimberandothersimilarmaterialsareusedintheconstructionof
thedwellingsascomparetotheuseofbonesandskins.
•Architectureo
f thistimeperiodreflectedanewfreedomandlessstoic
wayoflife,thestructurestookonanewopenness.

7. Mesolithic Dwellings
HUTS
Thestructuremainly comprisedofbamboos.Plansweretrapezoidal in
shape.They hadwideentrancesfacingthewaterbodies (rivers). Floors
wereplasteredwithlime. Postswerereinforcedwithstones.
PITHOUSES
Shallowovalpits 6m-9mlongand25mwide. Roofsweremadeof
timber. Stonehearthswereusedasworkingslabs.

8. Neolithic Era
•Neolithic e betweenthe 10,000–900BC, the peopleweregreat
builders.
•Manyc
tookplace,theyutilizedmud-bricktoconstructhouses
andvillages.
•Productiono
ffood.
•Developmentsina
gricultureleadtosettlingdown.
•Dwellingsbe
camemoresustainable.

9. Neolithic Dwellings
LONG HOUSES
•TheN longhousewasalong, narrow
timberdwellingbuiltbythefirst farmers
inEurope beginning atleastasearlyastheperiod
5000to6000BC.
•Thel
housewasarectangular structure,5.5to
7.0 mwide,ofvariablelength, around 20mupto
45m.
•Outer w
werewattle-and-daub,sometimes
alternatingwithsplitlogs,withpitched,thatched
roofs, supportedbyrowsof poles,threeacross.
•Thee
wallswouldhavebeenquiteshort
beneaththelargeroof.Theyweresolidand
massive,oak postsbeingpreferred.
•Clayf
thedaubwasdugfrompits nearthe
house,whichwerethenusedforstorage.

10. Neolithic Dwellings
DRY STONE HOUSES
•Stoneb
houses with3mthickcavity
walls.
•Inner,o
caves weremadeof dry
stones andtheinteriorswere covered
withdomesticrefuse.
•Rectangularpl
anwithcircularcorners.
•Thatchedr
withasmokeholeatthe
toppositionedovercentralhearth.
RemainsofSkaraBrae,astone-builtNeolithicsettlement,locatedon
theBayof Skaill onthewestcoast ofMainland,the largest islandinthe
Orkneyarchipelago of Scotland.

11. Monuments
•Settlementsle adtobuildingof
monumentalstonearchitecture.
•Thesew
mainlycollective
tombs.Suchas PassageGraves
andGalleryGraves.
•Othersa
Menhirsthatcan
exist as monolithsora part of
group.
•Passage Graves
•Gallery Graves
Collective Tombs
•Dolmens
•Henges
Menhirs

12. MEGALITHIC PASSAGE GRAVES
•Alo passageleadstoachamberdeep
inside.Thewallsof thepassageare
madeoflargeuprightslabs.
•Coveringm
ound (38m x32 m)
surroundedbywidespacewithwide
ditchbeyond.
•Entrance p
assage1mwideand1.5m
high.burialchamber(5 sqm)
•Smoothw
builtwithrectangular
blocksandfinejoints.
•Threec
atthreesidesofthe
chamber.Builtmainly with masoned
wallsandcorbelledroof.

13. MEGALITHIC GALLERY GRAVES
•23mlo chamber dividedintotwelve
sections.
•Covered with a rectangular mound .

14. MENHIRS
•Large,u standing
stones.
•Unevent

shaped,taperedtowardsthe
top.
•Maye
ora
partofgroup.
•Existedas i
dentification
marksatburialsitesor
otherwise.

15. DOLMENS
•Twoo morestonessupporting alargeoneat
thetop.
•Burial f

•Alsoc
cromlechs (brythonic origin).
HENGES
•Opena plancomprised
of concentriccircles.
•Ana
locatedin thecentre.
•Surroundedbyf
ivetrilithonpairsofstones.
•Followedbyaci
rcleofbluestones.
•Example: T
stonehenge.

16. Ancient Near East
CRADLES OF CIVILIZATION AND THE BRONZE AGE

17. Ancient Near East
•Thea NearEastwasthehome of
earlycivilizationswithinaregion
roughlycorrespondingtothemodern
MiddleEast:Mesopotamia,ancient
EgyptandancientIranareafewofthe
manycivilizations.
•Mesopotamia
•Ea ofall civilizationsaspeopleformed
permanentsettlements
•MesopotamiaisaG
reekwordthatmeans
“betweentherivers”,specifically,thearea
betweentheTigrisRiverandEuphrates
River(presentdayIraq)
•Itsp
werethefirsttoirrigatefields,
devised asystemofwriting,developed
mathematics,inventedthewheeland
learnedtoworkwithmetal

18. Mesopotamia Architecture: Ziggurats
•Large t
•Made of

shape of a pyramid in many tiers (due to
constant flooding and from belief that gods
resided on mountaintops)
•Temple on

was beautifully decorated
•Inside w

goods
•Temples e
-a stack of 1-7
platforms decreasing in size from bottom to
top
•Famous z

100m above ground and 91m base)
Mesopotamian Ziggurat at Ur, c. 2100 B.C.

19. Mesopotamia Architecture: Palace
•The M erectedmany
splendidpalacesandtemples,withina
Mesopotamian city, much of the architecture
(includingpalaces,temples,andcitywalls)
wasoftenlinkedtogether,formingavast
municipalcomplex.Thearchitecturalbulkof
a Mesopotamian citywasrelievedwith
spaciouscourtyards
•Kingsc
theirvictories,wealthand
powerbybuildinglargepalaces
•Varietyof a
styles
•Thisi
audiencehalls,receptionhalls,
storeroomsfortributesandvaluables,military
quarters
•Ap
–tallestbuilding,with36columnsof
20m height.

20. Mesopotamia Architecture: Ishtar Gate
•Theg survivingworkof
Mesopotamian architecture is
theIshtarGate, one of a seriesofgates
thatguardedtheroute intotheheart
ofBabylon(duringtheNeo-
Babylonianperiod).Coatedinglazed
bluetiles,thegateisgraced
withreliefsoflions,bulls,anddragons,
providingatasteof theglazed-tile
decorationthatoncecoatedlarge
portionsofMesopotamianpalaces,
temples,and ziggurats.G125Likeother
Mesopotamiangatesand defensive
walls,theIshtargatefeaturesaflat
roof(uponwhichdefenderscould
stand)edgedwithabattlement(awall
with regulargaps,providingdefenders
withshelter).

21. Mesopotamia Architecture: Dwellings
•KnownasM egaron
•Entranceaten
drather
thanonthelongsides
•Portico- c
olonnaded
spaceforminganentrance
orvestibule,witharoof
supportedononesideby
columns

22. Ancient Egypt
•Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient N ortheasternAfrica,
concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the
modern country of Egypt.
•Wealthyco
despitethedesert-everyyear,Nile wouldoverflow,
leavingthe landfertileforgrowing crops
•NileRi
wasatraderoute
•Goldf
Nubiainthe south
•Twokin
LowerandUpperEgypt,combinedbyKing Menesin
3100 BC
•Manysm
towns,butroyalcitiesat Memphis andThebes
•Asi
kingdomformostofitsexistence-unifiedunderthecentralized
omnipotentauthorityofthepharaoh(king)
•Them
achievementsoftheancientEgyptians include the quarrying,
surveyingandconstruction techniques thatsupportedthebuildingof
monumentalpyramids, temples,andobelisksand asystem
ofmathematics.

23. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
•DESCRIPTION
•Afterlife-l
andhouseon earthis
temporary,thetombispermanent
•Fors
enjoyment
ofthedeceased
•Religionisth
edominantelementin
Egyptianarchitecture
•ROOF& OP
ENINGS
•Roofwa
not an important
consideration
•Flatr
sufficedtocoverand
exclude heat
•Now

•Spaceswe
litbyskylights,roofslits,
clerestories
•MATERIALS
•Stonew
abundantinvariety and
quantity
•Usedf
monuments andreligious
buildings
•Durabilityo
f stoneiswhymonuments
still existtothisday
•Otherma
andtimber
wereimported
•Mudb
:forhouses,palaces
(reeds,papyrus,palmbranchribs,
plasteredoverwithclay)

24. ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
•WALL
•Batterwa
-diminishing in widthtowardsthetopfor
stability
•Thickness: 9 to24m att
emples
•Unbrokenm
assive walls,uninterruptedspacefor
hieroglyphics
•DECORATIONS
•Mouldingssuchas"
gorge"or"hollowandroll"wasinspired
byreeds
•Torusm

•Commonc
usedwerethelotus, papyrus,palmwhich
echoedindigenousEgyptianplants, andweresymbolsof
fertilityaswell
•Thes
representedbundleofstems

25. Ancient Egypt Architecture : MASTABAS
•Rectangular f lat-topped
funerarymound, with
batteredside, coveringa
burial chamber below
ground
•Firstt
ofEgyptiantomb
•Developedf
romsmall and
inconspicuoustohugean
imposing
Parts:
•Stairway w
2 doors:oneforritual,second
wasa false doorforspirits
•ColumnHa

•OfferingC

•Serdab(
statue ofdeceased)
•Offeringr
withStelae (stonewithname
ofdeceasedinscribed)
•Offeringt

•Sarcophagus –Eg
yptiancoffin

26. Ancient Egypt Architecture : PYRAMIDS
•massive funerary structure of stone or brick
•Cameinco
:
•Offeringch
or eastside)
•Mortuarych
apel
•Raised an
enclosedcausewayleadingto
west
•Valleyb
forembalmmentand
internmentrites
•Immenseus
eoflaborand materials,builtin
layers,likesteps
StepPyramidofZoser,Saqqara
•World'sfi
large-scalemonumentinstone

27. Ancient Egypt Architecture : ROCK-HEWN TOMBS
•Aro -cuttombisaburialchamber
thatiscutintoanexisting,naturally
occurring rock formation,usually
alongthesideofahill.Itwasa
common form ofburialforthe
wealthyinancienttimesinseveral
parts oftheworld.
•Builtal
hillside
•Forn
notroyalty

28. AncientEgyptArchitecture:TEMPLES
MORTUARYTEMPLES
•worship/ in h
onorof pharaohs
CULTTEMPLES
•worship/ in h
onorofgod
Parts:
•Entrancep

•Largeout
opentosky(hypaethralcourt)
•Hypostyleh
all
•Sanctuarys
bypassages
•Chapels/chambersu
sedin connectionwiththe
templeservice
Templeof Khons
•Typicaltemp
le:pylons,court,
hypostylehall,sanctuary, chapelsall
enclosedbyhighgirdle wall
•Avenueo
andobelisks
frontingpylons
GreatTempleofAmmon,Karnak,
Thebes
•Grandesttemp
leandthework
ofmanykings
GreatTempleofAbu-Simbel
•Example o
rock-cuttemple
•ConstructedbyR
amesesII
•Entrancefo
recourtleadstoimposingpylonwith4rock-
cutcolossal statues ofRamesessitting over20mhigh

29. Ancient Egypt Architecture : PYLONS & OBELISKS
PYLONS
•monumental gateway to the temple
c
onsisting of slanting walls flanking the
entrance portal
OBELISKS
Temple of Isis, Philae
•uprights squareinplan,withanelectrum-capped
pyramidionontop
•sacreds
ofsun-godHeliopolis
•usuallyc
in pairsfrontingtempleentrances
•heighto
tentimesthediameteratthe base
•fours
featurehieroglyphics
Great Obelisks at Luxor

30. Ancient Egypt Architecture : DWELLINGS & FORTRESSES
DWELLINGS
•Madeo crude brick
• Oneo
twostoreyhigh
• Flatr
deck
•3 p

• Receptions
uiteonnorthside-central hallorlivingroomwithhighceiling and clerestory
• Serviceq

• Private q

FORTRESSES
•Mostlyf
onwestbankofNileor
onislands
•Closec
other
fortresses
•Fortresso Buhen
•Headquarters &la
rgestfortifiedtownnearNubia
•From he
couldtradeandinvadelandsto the south

31. References
•https://www.pinterest.com/pin/516788125973513944/
•https://www.slideshare.net/surabhi527/paleolithic-architecture
•https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neolithic_long_house
•https://www.slideshare.net/siobhanholland9/ancient-ireland-1
•http://www.orkney.com/whats-new/maeshowe-webcam
•https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesopotamia
•https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Mesopotamia
•https://www.slideshare.net/patricehigh/mesopotamia-power-point
•https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Near_East
•http://www.essential-humanities.net/world-art/mesopotamian/
•https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock- cut_tomb