PREHISTORY

The first time period of study is the Prehistoric era. In this section two stone ages are covered, the Paleolithic and Neolithic, and then ends with the Bronze Age. It’s important to note that the Neolithic and Bronze ages do overlap where we see cultures in certain geographic areas advancing faster than others. 

The author of our book stresses that without written history we must take artifacts that we find and try to understand that culture through them. For instance, symmetry appeared to be an important design factor in these time periods. Also, understanding foundation myths can help one understand decoration in these ancient dwellings and ceremonial sites. 

In the Paleolithic era (it isn't just a diet!) dwellings would have been natural, such as caves, or non-permanent because of the nomadic nature of hunter-gatherer societies. During this time, the natural environment has a major impact on daily life and shelters were primarily functional and not decorative.

Caves

Huts

In the Neolithic era, we see more permanent building taking place. This permanence created a demand for “furniture” usually built into structures. Basic structures, primarily ceremonial, dominated in this time period: menhips – large upright stones, dolmen – post-and-lintel structure creating interior space, and henges – circular monuments.

Dolmen

During the Bronze Age, rather than creating most things from stone, we see more objects being made from metal. Also, shelters are becoming more sophisticated in their structure and organization. 

Influence on Modern Design

Although this prehistoric time period may be viewed as irrelevant to the study of architecture or interiors because of the relative lack of sophistication, there are many examples of these primitive structures in modern dwellings. Cave homes are prevalent in certain parts of the world to this day because of the consistent interior temperatures and secure shelter they provide. The basic design of the post-and-lintel system is fundamental in many modern structures. 

Caves

Post-and-lintel

Post-and-lintel