HOA PREHISTORIC

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE

is a record of man’s efforts to build beautifully as it traces the origin, growth and decline of styles over centuries and across various settings and cultures.

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?

1. Protection

• 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

2. Bronze Age

3. Iron Age

Paleolithic

• stones and bones as tools

• hunting and food gathering

• nomadic, lived in caves and rock shelters

Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age

• fashioned stone tools like the bow

• made canoe for fishing

• built huts from bones, animal hides, reeds and grass

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

Bronze Age

• metalworking with bronze

• houses of wood and stones with conical thatched roofs in a

farm

• developed the writing system like the cuneiform and

hieroglyphics

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

Megalith

is a large stone, sometimes forming part of a group

Types of Megalith:

Dolmen/Cromlech

Stone Circle

Stone Row

Stone Alignment

Dolmen/Cromlech

is a two or more upright stones supporting a slab

or capstone. They served as tomb landmarks

Stone Circle

are upright stones in a circular arrangement. They were

used for burials and social rituals

Stone Row

consists of upright stones in a linear arrangement

perhaps marking a processional route and usually associated with

stone circles.

Stone Alignment

upright stones aligned in many rows

thought to be religious or scientific in meaning

Monolith or Menhir

is a single, great upright stone. It varies in function from astronomical,

a landmark or a memorial.

Barrow / Tumulus

is an earthen mound burial

Cliff Dwelling

is formed by carving niches in cliffs.

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

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.

Lanyon Quoit,

is a megalithic burial dolmen

The Stonehenge

It is one of the most famous sites in the world and used as a burial and ceremonial site

Gobeklitepe, Turkey

It is believed to be the oldest place of worship / sanctuary.

It is older than Stonehenge by 7,000 years

Mnajdra Temple

It is neolithic megalith temple, ceremonial and astronomical observatory

Merrivale Stone Row

It is a prehistoric bronze age ritual site

Rudston Monolith,

The 25’ stone likely marked a prehistoric holy place or worship center.

Dilmun Burial Mounds,

It is the largest prehistoric burial mounds in the world

Knowth Mounds

It is a Neolithic burial consisting of 1 big mound and 17 smaller mounds

Stone Tower of Jericho, Palestine

its the oldest skyscraper

Catalhoyuk, Turkiye

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.

Skara Brae Neolithic Village, Scotland

Residents used earth sheltering as insulation from winter