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PREHISTORIC ARCHITECTURE
Prepared by Ar. Purva Kulkarni1
Prehistoric Period• Occurred before invention of written
records
• Also called Stone Age periodbecause of the absence of metalimplements
• Occurred from Human Habitation ofearth to 9000 BC
• Sub-Division of Period:
– Period can be further subdividedinto Early (or Paleolithic) StoneAge and New (or Neolithic)Stone Age
– Early Stone Age- Paleolithic -Upto 9000 BC
– Middle Stone Age- Mesolithic
– New Stone Age – Neolithic 9000BC to 3000 BC
Prepared by Ar. Purva Kulkarni 2For private circulation & academic purpose only
• Not restricted to any particular
geographical region
• Occurred in different localities,
Usually close to sources of
food, near rivers
Location
Early Stone Age (Before 9000BC)
• Nomadic, always on the move.
• Move about in search of food,
water, and good climate.
• Got their food through food
gathering, hunting and fishing
• Usually move about in small bands
of less than 15 persons.
• Their lifestyle made them barely
able to survive.
• Not much is known about their
beliefs.
Prepared by Ar. Purva Kulkarni3
For private circulation & academic purpose only
New Stone Age (9000- 3000BC)
• People stopped wandering
and settled down in
permanent settlements
• Discovered art of farming
and animal husbandry
• Discovery result of population
pressure
• Neolithic people acquired
confidence in ability to
tame and control nature
• Period saw interest in
natural cycles such as of
weather and heavenly bodies
e.g. that of the sun and
moon
Prepared by Ar. Purva Kulkarni 4
• Learnt to domesticate animals, farm andgrow crops, make pottery and weavecloth
• Skills were developed, marking start ofcivilization
• Villages were established and grew,protected by walls
• Introduction of basic socialorganization of society
For private circulation & academic purpose only
New Stone Age (9000- 3000BC)
• People learnt to
differentiate between
spaces and places-
Sacred versus everyday
places
• Architecture was born
Prepared by Ar. Purva KulkarniFor private circulation & academic purpose only
5
• Sought to understand theheavenly bodies andweather cycles
• Sought to control naturethrough rituals and magic
• Gradually introduced theidea of religion
• Confusion about death andlife after death led tointroduction of tombs
• Tombs are evidence ofsocial differences in thesociety
Architecture of the Civilization
Prepared by Ar. Purva Kulkarni 6
Rock Shelter
Cave Dwelling
Temporary structures of
plant and animal
materials
For private circulation & academic purpose only
Cave Dwelling • Caves were, however,
more popular as
dwelling
• A good example is the
cave at Lascaux in
France-Discovered in
1940
• Interior has elaborate
paintings of animals
and hunting scenes
• The artwork celebrates the
hunting life of the early stone
age people 7For private circulation & academic purpose only
Cave at Lascaux France
Prepared by Ar. Purva Kulkarni8
For private circulation & academic purpose only
For private circulation & academic purpose only
Dolmen
Dolmen Tomb, Carnac France
• Non-Funeral Structure
• The remains of a deadperson is place in thechamber formed bythe stone blocks
• The entire structure iscovered with a moundof earth
• Stone age people builttombs because of thebelief that deadpeople needed shelter
Prepared by Ar. Purva Kulkarni 10For private circulation & academic purpose only
Neolithic Legacy- AgricultureFixed place under the sky setting of stable communitiesTime-factored human life: Need to predict seasons basedon observation of the sky- sun, moon,stars
For privatecirculation & academic purpose only
• It had an extensive economy based
on specialized craft and commerce.
• Supported a population of up to 6000
people.
• The city was a trading center.
• Physically Catal Huyuk was highly
organized with elaborate architectural
features
• Houses were packed in one
continuous block punctuated by
courtyards
• Houses were of one story mudconstruction
• No streets in settlement and access tohouses and movement from house tohouse was through the roof
Prepared by Ar. Purva Kulkarni12
Neolithic Dwelling & Settlement-
Catal Huyuk
For private circulation & academic purpose only
Sources-
Sir Barnister Fletcher(1996)
Trachtenberg& Hyman(1986)
www.culture.gouv.fr
Spiro Kostof(1995).
D.K.Ching