How Did Prehistoric Humans Construct And Why?

Around 650 A.D., the Mesa Verdean peoples initiated construction of apartment-style homes, termed by Spanish explorers as pueblos. The Puebloan architecture is original in that it utilized the local stone and mud deposits of the region to maintain the structural integrity of their burgeoning developments. As this community evolved into the twelfth century, Mesa Verdeans further integrated the geology of their environment into their lifestyles by building homes, known as cliff dwellings, within the naturally formed alcoves of Mesa Verde. By the thirteenth century, the Mesa Verdeans vacated this region due to severe droughts and subsequent social instability. Despite the later abandonment of their cliff dwellings, it is clear that the geology of Mesa Verde National Park impacted the lives of the Ancestral Puebloans significantly. The following sections provide detailed information regarding the rock formations that make up the geological

Native Americans for years were able to create and built a shelter, known as tipis, to fit their cultural and basic needs. In this paper I will discuss shelter structure and cultural construction of a tipi using information from Gerald A. Oetelaar article.

Metalurgy first made an appearance in Europe during the Neolithic. (Levack et al 2009:16) Architecture improved and in many areas dwellings were made with sturdy supplies like stone and brick. Some villages, particularly in Southwest Asia, were surrounded by impressive stone walls for protection against enemies. (Leonard 1973:18)

During construction of the house workers unearthed an ancient burial cave from the Second Temple period which still contained ornate oussuaries with bones and

Mesopotamians had the tendency to build their courtyards hidden from the front door view. In order to protect their house from street dust, they were placing them behind the corner of the passage.

During the Paleolithic to the Neolithic period, there were some major cultural changes or contributions to the humanities that occurred. The Paleolithic lived a nomadic life in which they were known as nomadic hunters and gatherers. During the Paleolithic period (circa 40,000 – 8,000 B.C.E.) their form of art were wall paintings instituted deep inside the caves. They would stay by the opening of the cave, where there was light and depended on animals to feed on. Other than cave paintings, another form of their art was sculpting. The Paleolithic sculpts human figures, mostly female figures. The materials used were ivory, bone, horn, stone, and clay. Only a few were made of wood. By circa 8,000 B.C.E., hunters became farmers, using plants, seeds,

This is proof of the Sumerian architectural abilities. The architecture in Mesopotamia are considered to have been contemporary with the founding of the Sumerian cities, but there was some complexity in the architectural design during this Protoliterate period (c. 3400-c. 2900 BC). This is shown in the design of many religious buildings. Typical temples of the Protoliterate period--both the platform type and the type built at ground level--are, however, much more elaborate both in planning and ornament. The interior was decorated with cones sunk into the wall, covered in bronze. Most cities were simple in structure, but the ziggurat was one of the world's first complex architectural structures.

The Sumerians first developed irrigation for their fields. This allowed the production of vegetables, barley, wheat, and the production of flax for oil and linen. The people of ancient Mesopotamia lived in mud brick houses with roofs constructed from mats of palm fronds or reeds of mud. The mud material used for the walls of their houses kept the temperature cool in the house, which helped with the heat from the scorching sun. If any damage was done to these houses, they were easily repaired;

The Paleolithic Era, also known as the “Old Stone Age,” marked many advancements in prehistory. Us, homo-sapiens, evolved in the Paleolithic Era. During the Paleolithic Era we developed opposable thumbs, religious beliefs, a spoken language and much more. During the Paleolithic Era the nomads were created. Nomads were people who migrated in search of food. During the many years of the existence of nomads they changed their lifestyle from repetition of the same activities, to many advancements causing an easier life to live, they settled down, and more to come next. With all the things we achieved in the Paleolithic Era it is only right to wonder what could be achieved in the future. In order for us to evolve we must first identify what it was that the nomads did to achieve their great mark on history.

In the Neolithic Period, 8000 BC, tools and metal weaponry like smelting and casting were being brought about. This immensely improved how impactful weaponry was. After metalworking got introduced, the people could protect themselves in a more efficient way. Bricks were another form of technological advancement during the Neolithic Period. “In their simplest form (still familiar today in many hot regions), bricks are shaped by pressing mud or clay into a mould. The damp blocks are then left to bake hard in the sun. Bricks of this kind are known in Jericho from about 8000 BC.” Spinning along with and knitting also was invented during this time and it was one of the first cultural aspects brought about. It was one of the first jobs classified

Scientists believe that the first man-made shelter was made of tree branches and stones. The stones were placed at the center of the structure to hold the branches in place. Throughout history these structures slowly evolved in shape and form in ancient civilizations.

Some examples of human cultural development in the Paleolithic Culture would be that the humans gradually evolved from early members of the genus homo habilis. Since then they had evolved from those to hominid humans. Another example of human cultural development was the tools that were made from 4.4 billion to 1.6 million years ago. The tools that they would usually use were pebble tools, hand axes, and choppers. From 1 million to 25,000 years ago, the tools were changed, the tools were made to become flake tools as it was called.

Their early settlements were now being built with a greater sense of permanence. The early settlement inhabitants even erected their thatch houses on low apsidal shaped (oval) platforms. These platforms were constructed using a lime-gravel mixture called sascab, in addition to using white lime and stone.

An activity looked upon today as bad behavior today, may have further evolved early humans. Ferring, an American archaeologist who is excavating a hominid site in the Republic of Georgia, believes that throwing rocks taught Homo erectus communication and hand-eye coordination skills early on. With their brain being less than half the size of a human's brain today, Homo erectus were intelligent creatures none the less. The method of stone throwing helped humans to socialize early on with teamwork activities. Despite the average height of a Homo erectus male ranging from 4 feet and 9 inches to a little over 6 foot, they were no match for a hyena, not to mention a sabertooth tiger. Hurling rocks at larger animals was also a form of self-defense.

While the Southern Ndebele still live in homesteads, the design of the buildings within these homestead have changed since the time they immigrated to South Africa. Originally, the Nguni (Ndebele ancestors) styled houses with circular-wall huts with an archway opening. The first change was the introduction of clay walls around the hut by the Ndebele. However the rectangular nature of beds and tables did not suit the circular shape so the second change was derived from the Boer farm style housing and incorporated a rectangular floor plan for the home as opposed to a circular one. This appropriation led way to the third change which was the change from traditional roofing to that of corrugated iron roofing in order to make the roofing easier and more endurable when encounter different weather. This final change was appropriated from city dwellers. We can then see that the surrounding cultures and the modern time has influenced the Southern Ndebele. (From the