The beginning

natural order vs artifactnatural vs anthropic

what is really natural?

Old Stone Age or Paleolithic40 000 – 100 000 years ago

cave sanctuariesmagic beliefs

paintings expresses a kind of naturalism free from intellectual limits with paintings the artist-hunter holds animal's destiny

Lascaux cave, plan. About 10 000-20 000 years ago.

New Stone Age or Neolithic

around 10 000-3 000 years ago

Climate changesnew relationship between humans and nature

settled down communitiesagriculture

improved brain capacities of the homo sapiens more than climate changescreated new social relations and forms of abstract-symbolic art

domestic versus sacred

humans look at the Cosmos for practical and religious reasons

HOUSES

HOUSES

HOUSES

MONUMENTSMenhir

Dolmen around 3000 BC

TOMBS

Essé, France, around 3000 BC

TOMBS

Newgrange, Ireland, around 3000 BC

TOMBS

Temple at Ggantija (Tower of Giants)and

Stonehenge

built in different phases

their references: the cave and the sky

both sanctuaries express the idea of a building type,why? Because were found in the same region structures with

similar features.

Definition of building type:it is a an architectural form that is invented for a specific

purpose, it achieves a shared validity, in terms of space and ritual, through its repeated use.

SANCTUARIESTEMPLES

SANCTUARIESTEMPLES

SANCTUARIESTEMPLES

Stonehenge III Stonehenge IV 1500 BC circa

Stonehenge I 2700 BC circa Stonehenge II

SANCTUARIESTEMPLES

Heel stone

56 holes

Trench/canal(100 mt of

diameter circa)

Solstice axis

Bluestones (circle 8mt wide)

Sarsen circle and horseshoe

Y and Z holes

Bluestoneswithin the Sarsen

circle

North

South

Station stone

Station stone

Solstice axis

SANCTUARIESTEMPLES

The urban revolution

invention of writing -- written records about cities and their myths were found from III millennium BC

Civitas vs barbarous cities are the core of a new idea of civilization

words and cities distinguish populations

General features of cities

Early examples in the Middle East:

Khirokitia and Çatalhöyük

FIRST CITIES

Çatalhöyük 5 000- 4 000 BC

Çatalhöyük 5 000- 4 000 BC