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Prehistoric Shelter Construction Techniques

The earliest human shelters dating back before 12,000 BC included stone structures, tents, and huts made from readily available natural materials. Tents were constructed from animal hides and bones stretched over wooden poles. The simplest huts involved sticking branches in a circle and covering them with hides or leaves. As agriculture developed, more permanent dwellings like circular clay huts emerged in villages. Construction techniques also included wattle and daub walls made from saplings, reeds, and clay plaster as well as heavier timber communal houses built from posts, beams, thatch, and various wall materials. Some of the earliest stone structures were dolmens constructed from upright stones topped by flat stones.

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81 views2 pages

Prehistoric Shelter Construction Techniques

The earliest human shelters dating back before 12,000 BC included stone structures, tents, and huts made from readily available natural materials. Tents were constructed from animal hides and bones stretched over wooden poles. The simplest huts involved sticking branches in a circle and covering them with hides or leaves. As agriculture developed, more permanent dwellings like circular clay huts emerged in villages. Construction techniques also included wattle and daub walls made from saplings, reeds, and clay plaster as well as heavier timber communal houses built from posts, beams, thatch, and various wall materials. Some of the earliest stone structures were dolmens constructed from upright stones topped by flat stones.

Uploaded by

NEHALJAIN15
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

THE FIRST STRUCTURES --- BUILDING IN THE PREHISTORIC ERA

Stage 1: Man as a Hunter-Gatherer


The first "shelters" built by humankind date back to before 12,000 BC. Building types characteristic of this period are:
Stone Structures
Tents
Huts
Stage 2: Man begins to cultivate land
Building types characteristic of this period are:
villages of circular (and later rectangular) huts
the communal house
CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS
Construction was based on simple techniques using readily available materials.
The Tent
Hunting generated animal hides and bones. These were used to create tents. Wooden poles and/or animal bones were utilized
to erect a framework over which animal hides or leaves were draped. In its crude form, the tent was erected by driving a pole
in the ground, and slinging animal hides over it. The hide was then held down with stones.
The Hut
In its simplest form, wooden branches were stuck into the ground in a circle, and their upper, softer ends were tied together
at the top. Over this framework, either hide was used as a cover, or broad leaves were intertwined to form a covering. With
the advent of the agricultural revolution, more permanent forms developed. In the Middle East, remains of whole villages of
round dwellings have been unearthed. These round dwellings, called tholoi, were built of packed clay. Although all traces of
the roofs have disappeared, there were most likely built of dry-laid stone forming domed roofs.
Composite building materials were also used. Clay and wood, in the so-calledwattle-and-daub construction, were often used
for permanent dwellings. The walls were made of small saplings or reeds driven into the ground, and tied laterally with
vegetable fibers. This was then plastered over with wet clay for rigidity and waterproofing. The roofs must have been

made of crude thatch bundles or bundled reeds.


The Communal House
Heavier timber buildings were also found. These buildings were restricted in size as the stone tools used by
man at this time were not very effective in cutting large trees for timber. Using the post and lintel system, a
central row of columns was used to support the ridge pole and similar rows of columns were used for the
long walls. Rafters were run from the ridge pole to the wall beams. The columns were buried deep into the
ground for lateral stability. The ridge pole and rafters were tied using vegetable fibers. Thatch was used to
roof the structure. Light wooden poles were spanned between the rafters to lay out the thatch on top. The
walls were infilled with various materials, including clay, wattle and daub, tree bark (used by the American
Woodland Indians), and thatch.
Stone Structures
Some of the first structures built by man were using stone --- by placing 2 stone vertically and one flat stone
spanning them across. These were called dolmens.
Other stone building include granaries and temples. But some, like the Stonehenge, are still a puzzle to us
today. The construction of such buildings was based on the post and lintel method, similar to the dolmens.
Many of these structures are still being used by tribal populations all over the world.

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