ARTH 100-Prehistoric art 3

Prehistoric Architecture

• Prehistoric architecture fascinates due to its evolutionary journey.

• Development of architecture coincided with human settlement, moving from nomadic lifestyles to established homes and structures.

  • Earliest homes built from animal bones and skins, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly during migrations.

Neolithic Period

• Marks a significant transition in prehistoric architecture.

• Dated approximately from 10,021,000 years before the Common Era (BCE).

  • Important developments:

    • Agriculture: Transition to farming and food production.

    • Domestication of Animals: Provided food and labor.

    • Permanent Buildings: Establishment of villages and towns.

    • Complex Tools: Stone and metal tools for various applications.

    • Calendar and Wheel: Innovations aiding time management and transportation.

    • Art: Creation of paintings, murals, and sculptures integrated into architecture.

Defining Architecture

• Defined as a three-dimensional structure designed to house humans and their possessions.

• Includes various structures such as:

  • Houses

  • Schools

  • Temples

  • Museums

  • Monuments

• Architecture differs from other art forms:

  • Must serve a function (utilitarian).

  • Focus on form and context rather than narrative or imagery.

Neolithic Architecture Examples

Catalhoyuk, Turkey

• One of the earliest settlements, established around 7400 BCE.

  • Notable for:

    • No streets; movement across rooftops using ladders for safety.

    • Houses built one on top of another with underground familial burial sites.

    • Prosperous trade in nearby obsidian, ceramics, and murals.

    • Houses accessed through roof openings; constructed with bricks of mud and mortar.

House Features

• Material: Made from natural earth and binders to create approximately 8,000 bricks.

• Design: Thick walls for insulation.

• Space Usage:

  • Designated areas for sleeping, communal meetings, and food preparation.

• Art and Ritual: Homes adorned with murals and ancestral bones for worship.

  • Mural includes abstract shapes, animals, and human figures; different colors, possibly indicative of blood.

Megalithic Architecture

Stonehenge, England

• Acknowledged as one of the most iconic megalithic structures, dated approximately 3,01500 BCE.

• Notable aspects include:

  • Construction: Utilized post and lintel architecture, where posts are topped with horizontal lintels.

  • Each structure reinforced with tenon and mortise to secure the stones.

  • Size: Stones are 9 meters tall, weighing up to 50 tons, transported up to 500 kilometers.

Function and Interpretation

• Possible functions of Stonehenge include:

  • Cemetery: Serving as a burial ground for community members.

  • Religious Site: A location for spiritual rituals and pilgrimages.

  • Observatory: Used for tracking cosmic events and marking seasonal changes.

• Initially a burial site; later serving as a calendar for agricultural cycles and celebratory events like solstices.

Conclusion

• Prehistoric architecture showcases the growth and complexity of Neolithic societies.

• Structures such as Catalhoyuk and Stonehenge represent the ingenuity, communal effort, and sophisticated beliefs of early humans.