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HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE I:
Pre Historic Architecture
By: Archt. Chris Luna, uap
A history of architecture is a record of mans
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
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 instruments
livelihood from hunting & food gathering
learned to make fire
lived in caves & rock shelters
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 metalworking with
copper
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3. Iron Age
cutting tools and weapons were mainly
made of iron or steel
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.
Wedge Tomb, Ireland
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.
The Stonehenge site and its surroundings were
added to the UNESCOs list of World Heritage
Sites in 1986.
Stonehenge Plan
Archaeological evidence indicates that the
Stonehenge served as a burial ground from its
earliest beginnings.
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c. Stone Row
Merrivale Stone Row, England
B. Monolith or Maenhir is a great upright
stone.
Avebury Monolith, England
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.
Rock Shelter at Lane Cove, NSW, Australia
2. Cave
Jenolan Caves, NSW, Australia
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3. Cliff Dwelling
Guyaju Cliff Dwelling, China
4. Hut
Clochan Beehive Hut, Ireland
Mud Huts, Syria
Katal Huyuk, Turkey, were rectangular, single-
roomed with mud-plastered walls & floors.
Access was by ladder from the roof. There were
no roads but everybody walked on each others
roof.
Terra Amata Hut, France
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Apache Wickiup (grass & reeds)
Native American Wigwam
Prehistoric Mammoth Bone Hut, Ukraine
Eskimo Igloo, Alaska
5. Tent
Tuareg Tents (Camel & Goat Hides)
Native American Tipi (Animal hide)
Topic Sources and References:
History of Architecture 20
th
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
