Neolithic Spatial Practices

I. Neolithic religious sites: Humans mark the land with reference to the sky, seasons

I.

Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Carnac, France Avebury, England

1.2.

Maes Howe tomb, England

I. A. Historical context:

Neolithic (“New Stone Age”: 8,000-3,000 BC): • small game hunting, livestock• agriculture, storage of surplus• extra-terrestrial powers (the skies)• signs of social hierarchies• sedentary living; first signs of urbanism

Stonehenge

Stonehenge

Carnac, France Avebury, England

Stonehenge, England, c. 2750-1000 B.C.

I. A.

Stonehenge

I. A.

Stonehenge

Restoration in 1901 As a tourist attraction today

I. A.

I. B. Formal analysis: Name four important features of many Neolithic spaces

Stonehenge

1. Regular geometries

2. Alignment with celestial signs

3. Circumscription and accent

4. Axial relationships

I. C. Form linked to world view: How might these formal features be a response to some of the conditions of the Neolithic age listed above?

• agriculture• extra-terrestrial powers (the skies)• signs of sedentary living and hierarchical social organization

Stonehenge

I. C.

• agriculture• extra-terrestrial powers (the skies)• signs of sedentary living and hierarchical social organizationStonehenge

trabeationlintel

post

I. B.

Stonehenge

I. C.

tongue and grove

mortise and tenon

I. C. 1. Why wouldn’t an organic plan and multi-form surfaces have satisfied a Neolithic culture’s needs and understanding of the world?

Paleolithic Lascaux Cave Neolithic Stonehenge

I. D. Stonehenge in detail as a purposefully designed sacred ritual space

Stonehenge

1. How is the ritual of gathering reflected in the design of Stonehenge?

4.

I. D. 2. How is Stonehenge a sustained architectural artifact in detailing compared to many other Neolithic sites(Kostof)?

Stonehenge

a. aesthetic experience linked to structure (not applied decoration)

I. D. 2. b. optical and tactile refinements of Stonehenge

Stonehenge