01 prehistoric architecture

PREHISTORIC WORLD

*for educational purposes only*

Neolithic: the “new” Stone Age (8,000 – 2300 BCE), which marked the beginnings of monumental (extremely large) architecture

corbeled vault: a vault formed by the piling of stone blocks in horizontal courses, cantilevered inward until the two walls meet in an arch

post and lintel: one of the earliest methods of architectural construction in which two posts (sometimes called “uprights”) support a lintel (horizontal beam which rests across the top)


megalith: a large stone used in the construction of a prehistoric structure

Cromlech: a circle of megaliths, as at Stonehenge



Neolithic Jericho was protected by 5-foot-thick walls and at least one stone tower 30 feet high and 33 feet in diameter. An outstanding achievement that marks the beginning of monumental architecture.

Great stone tower built into the settlement wall, Jericho, ca. 8000-7000 BCE


Corbeled vault of the main chamber in the passage grave, Newgrange, Ireland, ca. 3200-2500 BCE

The Newgrange passage grave is an early example of corbeled vaulting. The huge stones (megaliths) of the dome of the main burial chamber beneath the tumulus are held in place by their own weight.



Aerial view of ruins of Hagar Qim, Malta, ca. 3200- 2500 BCE

One of the earliest stone temples in the world is on the island of Malta. The 5,000-year-old structure is remarkably

sophisticated for its date, especially in the combination of rectilinear and curved forms.*for educational purposes only*

Stonehenge (3100-2000 BC)

Wiltshire, England



Aerial view (looking northwest) of Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, England, ca. 2550-1600 BCE. Circle is 97’ in diameter;

trilithons 24’ high.

The circles of trilithons at Stonehenge probably functioned as an astronomical observatory and solar calendar. The sun rises over its “heel stone” at the summer solstice. Some of the megaliths

weigh 50 tons. *for educational purposes only*

Neolithic architecture

Post and lintel construction

Megaliths are 21 to 24 feet tall, including height of lintel, and buried four feet in the ground

Solar and lunar orientation

Stones dragged from far away to this site

Circle of megaliths embrace structure, enclosing it


Inside circle of megaliths is a larger horseshoe-shaped group of megaliths which frame an “Altar Stone”

Horseshoe-shaped stones face midsummer sunrise over “Heel Stone”

“Altar Stone” is a green sandstone taken from a mine in Wales, over 200 miles away

Heaviest stones 50 tons apiece, hauled by sledges (sleds)

Tools for building: ropes, levers, rollers, axes

Built in several phases over hundreds of years on a sacred site on Salisbury Plain



Several Phases (stages) of Construction


Plan of Stonehenge in 2004. Trilithon lintels omitted for clarity. Holes that no longer, or never, contained stones are shown as open circles. Stones visible today are shown coloured.*for educational purposes only*

The lintels (horizontal monoliths) were fitted to one another using a woodworking method, the “tongue-and-groove joint”



Each stone had clearly been worked with the final visual effect in mind; the pillars widen slightly towards the top, in order that their perspective remains constant when viewed from the ground. The lintel stones curve slightly to continue the circular appearance of the earlier monument. The inward-facing surfaces of the stones are smoother and more finely worked than the outer surfaces.


Stonehenge

Sarsen stones

trilithons

bluestones

Lintels

Open endFacing East


were probably prototypes of the Pyramids in Egypt and of the beehive huts in Wales, Cornwall, Scotland , and Ireland


BEEHIVE HUT*for educational purposes only*

Consisted of wooden huts built on piles in the water for protection against attack




Education

01 prehistoric architecture