INDS 212

HISTORY of ART & INTERIOR

DESIGN

Gallery of the Discs in El Castillo. (S.RECD/Government of Cantabria)

Lecture 2
PRE-
HISTORY
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INDS 212– LECTURE 2 -
PREHISTORY
PREHISTORIC ARCHITECTURE &
•INTERIORS
Human beings on earth for about
1.7 million years
• Detailed record of events
developments (history) stretches back for
and
only about six or seven thousand years.
• Before the beginning of history
myths, legends, and guesswork to tell us
only Hands in Gargas cave,
what events occurred and in what order France
(Pile, 2009) .
• When and where did people first learn to
use shelters and what were the earliest
shelters like?
• 2 forms of Inquiry
1. prehistoric remains of various kinds
known to archeologists and;
2. the current or recent practices of the
primitive” peoples usually studied by
anthropologists (Fazio, 2008).
Buffalo, Altmira, Spain

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INDS 212– LECTURE 2 - PREHISTORY

Archeological Evidence:
Understanding Ways of Life
1. Migratory, unattached to fixed locations, dependent on water
Patterns
sources, hunting, and food gathering (Pile, 2009).
• Requirements of the earlier shelters:- easy portable and made
of light and easy to work material (twigs and branches, leaves,
rushes and similar plant materials, and animal materials such as
skins or hides)
• In cold climates inorganic materials such as mud or snow that
were used also have limited lasting qualities
• Stone, although very durable, was difficult to work with and had
very limited possibilities for shelter building (Pile, 2009),
(Fazio, 2008) .

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The First
Shelters Caves :

• 15,000-10,000 B.C.E ;

• Materials-that were easy to work with bare hands or with very

simple tools;

• Exist only in certain places;

• They were emergency places for special rites or

shelters, ceremonies, etc.

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Fig. 1 Lion Panel, Chauvet cave, Ardeche, France. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E.

The intention of the paintings was probably not to ornament or decorate the natural spaces of the caves,
but rather to provide images that might grant mystical power over hunted animals. To the modern
viewer, the paintings have the effect of making the natural caves into spaces under some degree of
human control (Pile, 2009).
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Dolmen
sAlignments (called Dolmens in Brittany (France) and other
European locations) are the arrangements of stones in such a way
that a large stone was placed on top of two, three or more
upright stones in order to create an inner chamber of a tomb that
took the form of an artificial hill (Fazio, 2008).
Construction time: 4000-3000
B.C.E
Location: Europe, Asia,
Middle East, Eurasia
Function Ceremonies
: rituals or connected
observationwithof
astronomical movements;
burial rites.

Fig.2 Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England, c. 2700-1500 B.C.E.

[www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/] 8
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Fig. 5 Plan of Stonehenge in 2004.

Italicized numbers in the text refer to the labels on this plan. Trilithon lintels omitted for clarity. Holes
that no longer, or never, contained stones are shown as open circles. Stones visible today are shown
colored.
Fig. 6 17th century depiction of Stonehenge
Huge stones were carefully placed to create interior spaces with a strong aesthetic impact, whether
they were originally open to the sky (as now) or roofed with materials that have since disappeared.
The purpose seems to have been connected with rituals relating to the movements of the sun,
moon, and stars. The circular from is characteristic of many ancient human constructions [www.
stonehenge.co.uk/about.php].
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Evidence from Tribal

Cultures
The oldest known traces of built human shelter, found in Terra Amata
in Southern France, are believed to be 400,000 years old.

These most minimal remains suggest the form of huts made from
tree branches. Although archeological evidence is scarce about the
nature of the earliest built structures, there is evidence to be found
by turning to the other source of clues to early human shelter – the
practices of “primitive” peoples survive in many inaccessible
geographical regions and many others were extant as recently as one
or two centuries ago (Pile, 2009), (Fazio, 2008).
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“Primitive” societies are characterized by a powerful

conservatism, a devotion to traditional ways (often reinforced by
a system of taboos that discourage change), and a mistrust of
the concept of “progress” that dominates modern “developed”
societies (Ching, 2006).

As a result, “primitive” ways can be regarded as exemplifying

more ancient ways – ways that can be traced back to the stone
age (Pile, 2009).

Most “primitive” societies depend on hunting, fishing, and food

gathering for sustenance.

They are therefore generally to some degree migratory and

must build shelter that is readily portable.

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Peoples in tribal Africa, in the islands of the Pacific, in the Arctic, and the
North and South American continents before the coming of Europeans are
now, or were recently, living in ways that have not changed in many
generations.

Afri

African Aboriginal Celtic

Villages in tropical Africa, settlements in the Sahara and Mongolian deserts,
Native American (American Indian), Inuit (Eskimo), and Australian
Aborigine communities are all “primitive” living systems that provide
examples of shelter types that can be assumed to be evidence of how
human shelter may have developed (Pile, 2009).

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Types of primitive
shelters:
 Wigwam (covered with skins – Tepee).
-Structure, made up of tree branches
tied together at the top, with enclosing
surfaces being built up by weaving more
flexible twigs and branches through the
main structure (Fazio, 2008).
- It might receive an exterior plastering
with mud
-In locations where trees and branches
were scarce, similar form were built of
mud brick with a topping like a hat of
straw or thatch.
- Location: America
- Shape: round
- Function: shelter

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Tepee

Fig. 7; 8 William Henry Jackson, photograph of a Bannock family camped near Medice
Lodge Creek, Idaho, 1871 (Pile, 2009).
The native American tepee was a round, portable structure with a frame of wooden poles
and a covering of skin. Its interiors was simply the inside of its structure without added
treatment or furniture.

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Yurt (Ger) made of a vertical wall frame of lattice strips that

collapse for transport but are expanded (like a modern elevator
gate) and tied to form a circle. Willow strips form a roof
structure and layers of felt are applied to form the wall and roof
enclosure (Ching, 2006).
 Location: Mongolia
 Shape: round
 Materials: strips, skins
 Function: shelter
 Design: rugs, stools

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Yurt

Fig. 9; 10 An engraving of a Mongolian yurt (Pile, 2009).

The yurt is a portable structure with an enclosing wall of lattice strips supporting a roof
structure of poles. The exterior is covered with skins or mats. Inside, boxes to hold possessions,
rugs, and stools create spaces with considerable aesthetic character.

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12 13

14

Fig. 12 Genghis Khan's ger cart pulled by oxen (13th century)

[www.woodlandyurts.co.uk/Yurt_Facts/YurtFacts.html
Fig. 13 Two yurts in the Mongolian steppe
[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Mongolia, retrieved 9.08.10
Fig. 14 Inside a yurt [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Mongolia]

InstructorK. Bennett 17
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Igloo – is a circular construction built of blocks cut from

snow. The blocks are laid up in a concentric circles of
diminishing size to form a dome. An entrance tunnel of
snow blocks is angled to prevent penetration of winds, and
it include a space to accommodate dogs. Skins are used to
line the walls, leaving an air space that helps to insulate
the interior while preventing the heat from melting the
snow dome (Fazio, 2008).
- Locations: Arctic regions, Canada, Alaska
- Shape: round
- Material: blocks of snow
- Shelter, storage
- Design: raised platforms lift the interior level and act as
substitute form of furniture; walls lined with skins.

Instructor:K. Bennett 18
IND– LECTURE 2 - PREHISTORY

Igloo
15 16

17 18 19

Fig. 15; 16; 17; 18; 19. An igloo; Community of igloos; An igloo's snow-brick laying method; A cutaway
of an unit igloo; An igloo side view diagram; opening to the right, optional window may be
composed of an ice block. The interior is lined with skins to give insulation, and the bench “furniture” on
either side is formed of snow [Illustration from Charles Francis Hall's Arctic Researches and Life Among
the Esquimaux, 1865) [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit]
www.theancientweb.com/explore/content.aspx?content_id... ].
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INDS 212– LECTURE 2 - PREHISTORY

 African primitive house

- There are villages of multi-room houses, where each
room is actually a separate round hut with a special
function (living space, kitchen, store room, stable), with
covered doorway links between related hut-rooms (Ching,
2006).
- Location: Cameroon
- Shape: round
-Material: walls-mud, roofs of thatch resting like hats on
the walls
- Function: Multifunctional

Instructor:K. Bennett 20
INDS 212– LECTURE 2 - PREHISTORY

African architecture, Cameroon

20 21
22

23

Fig. 20 Plan and sectional elevation of a Matakam homestead or tribal village in Cameroon, Africa.
The circular form of the mud or stone hut creates a room, and several similar structures are grouped
together to make a house complex. The simple interiors hold storage containers and sleeping pads on
the dirt floors.
Fig. 21. African architecture. Conical roofs in Cameroon [www.lexic.us/definition-of/Matakam]
Fig. 22. 1792-8236 Cameroon, Matakam's tribe, also called Mafa or Kirdi [www.lexic.us/definition-
of/Matakam]
Fig. 23. Cameroon, village of Podoko, constituted of cattle manure huts with thatched roofs
[www.superstock.com/stock-photography/Straw+roof]
InstructoK. Bennett 21
INDS 212– LECTURE 2 - PREHISTORY

Trulli are Apulia (southern Italy) ancient houses built of

dry field stones to form a roughly square room. This is
topped by a round dome built by laying rings of stone in
gradually diminishing circles until a single stone (key
stone) can cover the topmost opening (Fazio, 2008) .
- Location: Apulia, Italy
- Shape: square
- Material: stone
- Function: shelter, storage

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24 25

26

Fig. 24. Model showing the typical construction

technique of a trullo of Alberobello , Italy
Fig. 25. Trulli roof structure
Fig. 26. A typical Apulia trulli, Italy
[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trullo]. 14th Century

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 Common characteristics of “primitive” shelters:

-The shapes were dictated by nature (the forms of nature
are rarely straight-lined and square-cornered (trees and
rocks, birds and insects shelters), realities of topography,
weather, availability of materials and climate (Pile, 2009).
-quite small and are almost invariably round due to the
limited availability of materials;
- made of available and easy to work materials;
- easily portable, therefore made of light materials;
- simple interior with minimal comfort.

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INDS 212– LECTURE 2 - PREHISTORY

Interiors are designed for the reason of existence: simply

hollow space (creating by the technique of building the
outside) to house the equipment used in daily life (cooking
and eating utensils, weapons, stored clothing, blankets,
etc.);
- Tables and chairs are rarely used;
- Sleeping arrangements are portable materials;
-Shelf-like platforms or benches constructed as part of
the built structure (Pile, 2009), (Fazio, 2008).

Instructor: K. bennett 25
INDS 212– LECTURE 2 - PREHISTORY

Pattern and Design

The technique of weaving is an ancient invention and was
already known in the Paleolithic era (before 10.000 B.C.),
which has appeared in many locations, making possible
baskets, blankets, and rugs (and of course, clothing) of a
manufactured membrane as an alternative to animal skins
(Fazio, 2008).
The design patterns were dictated by the nature (webs of
spiders, nest of birds).
The weaving products had rather functional purpose than
aesthetical.
There are purposeful meanings in color, pattern, and
design that serve to designate identity within a society,
tribal loyalties, religious or mythic references, or magical
significance.

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29 30

Fig. 29. Prehistoric woven objects and weaving tools

Fig. 30. Weaving in ancient Egypt
[en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving]

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The First Permanent Settlements

The shift from nomadic hunting and gathering cultures to
those more permanent began in 10,000 B.C.E (particularly
in regions like Near East) (Blakemore, 2005). The appearance of
permanent settlements, villages and towns and more
lasting house types was based on:
- The development of fixed-based agriculture;
- The invention of controlled use of fire;
- The invention of language;
- The invention of mud brick;
- Specialized occupations appearance;
- The birth of market Society.

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Fig. 34. Reconstruction of mammoth-bone structure, Mezhirich, Ukraine, c. 15,000 B.C.E.

The bones of mammoths served as the material for structural frameworks. A dwelling in Mezhirich is
made of mammoth bones partially supported by a wooden frame. Hides lining the hut serve as
insulation.
Mezhirich is considered one of the oldest shelters known to have been constructed by pre-historic man
(Pile, 2009). Instructor:K. Bennett 29
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35 36

Fig. 35; 36. Reconstruction views of the buildings and shrine room of Catal Huyuk near Konya, Turkey,
c. 6500-5700 B.C.E. (Fazio, 2008).
All the buildings at Catal Huyuk were accessed from the rooftops. They form a continuous grouping, the
exterior walls of which form a de facto perimeter fortification. The buildings comprised dwellings,
workshops, and shrine rooms.
Instructor:K. Bennett 30
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37 38

Fig. 37; 38; 39. Khirokitia village, Cyprus,

39 Neolithic period (9500 B.C. – 4500).
One of the earlier form of organized functional
society in a form of collective settlement, with
fortifications for communal protection.
Located on the slope of a hill in the valley of
Marini river, the village was cut off from the
outside world, apart from the river, by a strong
wall of stones 2,5 m thick, and 3 m high.
Access to the village was via several points
through the wall.
The buildings of different functions were round
shaped huddled close together and having a
common courtyard (Fazio, 2008) .
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Text Books
1. Ireland, J., 2009, History of Interior Design, New York: Fairchild Books, pp. 1 - 29
References
1. Blakemore, R., G., (2005), History of Interior Design and Furniture: From Ancient
Egypt to Nineteenth –Century Europe, Second Edition, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons
Inc., pp. 23-37
2.Ching, F., D., Jarzombek, M.M. & Prakash V., (2006), A Global History of Architecture,
New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons
3.Fazio, M., Moffett, M. & Wodehouse, L., (2008), A World History of Architecture,
Boston: McGraw-Hill, pp. 8- 54
5. Glancey, J., (2006), Architecture: World’s Greatest Buildings, History and Styles,
Architects (EYEWITNESS COMPANION GUIDES), DK Publishing
6. Pile, J., F., (2009), A History of Interior Design, Second Edition, London: Laurence
King Publishing, pp. 13-32
7. www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/, Retrieved: 20.07.2010
8. www.stonehenge.co.uk/about.php, Retrieved: 20.07.2010
9. www.woodlandyurts.co.uk/Yurt_Facts/YurtFacts.html , Retrieved: 9.08.2010
10. www.woodlandyurts.co.uk/Yurt_Facts/YurtFacts.html , Retrieved 9.08.10

Instructo K. Bennett 32
INTRODUCTION; PREHISTORY to EARLY CIVILIZATIONS – Prehistory to Early civilizations
(continued)

12. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture _of _Mongolia, Retrieved 9.08.10

13.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit, Retrieved: 12.08.2010 14.
www.theancientweb.com/explore/content.aspx?content_id... , Retrieved: 12.08.2010
15. www.lexic.us/definition-of/Matakam, , Retrieved: 13.08.2010 16.
www.superstock.com/stock-photography/Straw+roof, , Retrieved: 13.08.2010
17.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trullo, Retrieved 19.08.2010
18.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving, Retrieved: 19.08.2010
19. art-smart.ci.manchester.ct.us/fiber-kente/kente.html, Retrieved: 10.08.2010
20. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kente_cloth, Retrieved: 10.08.2010

Instructor:K> Bennett 33