Agree, in early childhood, all of us were somehow interested in the dwellings of ancient people. We read about them in books and popular science magazines, watched movies, which means, willy-nilly, at least once in our lives, but still imagined how great it would be to change roles with them for a few hours, finding ourselves in that distant world, full of unknown and unseen.
However, despite the abundance of information, we sometimes cannot answer seemingly completely simple questions. For example, about how ancient people protected their homes, where and how they got food, whether they stocked up for the winter, and whether they had any pets.
The article aims to acquaint readers with the topic. After reading all the sections carefully, everyone will have a more than detailed idea of what the dwellings of the ancient people of the Stone Age were like.
General information
To more clearly imagine what happened many centuries ago, let's think about the principle by which themodern houses are ennobled. Many will agree that the choice of material is primarily influenced by climate. In hot countries, you are unlikely to find buildings with thick brick (or panel) walls, double-glazed windows and additional insulation. In turn, there are no bungalows and open villas in the northern regions.
The primitive dwelling of ancient people was also built taking into account the weather conditions of a particular region. In addition, of course, the presence of nearby water bodies and the characteristic features of local flora and fauna were taken into account.
Thus, modern experts say that the hunters of the Paleolithic times in most cases settled on slightly rugged, or even completely flat terrain, in the immediate vicinity of lakes, rivers or streams.
Where can you see ancient sites?
We all know that caves are areas of the upper part of the earth's crust, located, as a rule, in the mountainous regions of the planet. To date, it has been established that most of them were once the dwellings of ancient people. Of course, regardless of the continent, people settled only in horizontal and gentle caves. In vertical, called mines and wells, the depth of which can reach up to one and a half kilometers, it was inconvenient to live and improve life, if not very dangerous.
Archaeologists have discovered the dwellings of ancient people in different parts of our planet: in Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
A lot of caves have also been discovered on the territory of Russia. The most famous are Kungurskaya, Bolshaya Oreshnaya,Denisov and the whole Tavdinsky complex.
What did the dwelling of ancient man look like from the inside?
There is a fairly common misconception that the inhabitants of that time were quite warm and dry in the caves. Unfortunately, this is not the case, but rather the opposite. As a rule, in the faults of rocks it is very cold and humid. And there is nothing surprising in this: such areas are rather slowly warmed up by the sun, and it is generally impossible to heat a huge cave in this way.
The prevailing humid air around, which in most cases is barely felt under the open sky, tends to condense, falling into a closed space surrounded on all sides by cold stone.
As a rule, the air in a cave cannot be called stale. On the contrary, there are constant drafts here, formed under the influence of the aerodynamic effect created by the presence of numerous passages and slots.
As a result, we can conclude that the very first dwellings of ancient people were small cool caves with walls constantly wet from condensation.
Was it possible to keep warm by lighting a fire?
In general, making a fire in a cave, even with modern means, is a rather troublesome and not always effective task.
Why? The thing is that initially it will take a long time to choose a place protected from the wind, otherwise the fire will simply go out. Secondly, heat in this waya cave - it's the same as if you set yourself the goal of heating an entire stadium, armed with an ordinary electric heater. Sounds absurd, right?
In this case, one fire is actually not enough, especially considering that cold air will constantly move towards your parking place from somewhere inside the stone bag.
Safety measures
How did ancient people protect their homes, and was there a need for this in principle? Scientists have been trying to get a definitive answer to this question for a long time. It was found that, in warm climates, camps were, as a rule, of a temporary nature. A man found them by chasing wild animals along the paths and collecting various kinds of roots. Ambushes were set up nearby and dead carcasses were skinned. Such houses were not guarded: raw materials were collected, rest was arranged, thirst was quenched, simple belongings were collected, and the tribe rushed on.
In what is now Eurasia, most of the land was covered with a thick layer of snow. There was already a need for the improvement of a more permanent monastery. The dwelling was often won back from a hyena or a cave bear by perseverance, deceit or cunning. During the winter cold, the entrances to the cave were often blocked from the inside with stones and branches. This was primarily done to prevent the former owner from getting inside.
Section 6. What was inside the first man's house?
Dwellings of ancient people, photos of which can often be found in modern popular scienceliterature, were rather unpretentious in their arrangement and content.
Most often inside it was round or oval. According to scientists, on average, the width rarely exceeded 6-8 meters with a length of 10-12 m. Inside, according to experts, up to 20 people fit. For ennoblement and insulation, tree trunks were used, cut down or broken in a nearby forest. It was not uncommon for such material to travel down the river.
Often the dwellings of ancient people were not a place in a cave, but real huts. The skeleton of the future house was represented by tree trunks inserted into previously dug recesses. Later, branches intertwined were superimposed on top. Of course, because of the constantly walking wind, it was quite cold and damp inside, so the fire had to be maintained, both day and night. By the way, scientists were surprised to find that tree trunks, which play a key role in construction, were reinforced with heavy stones for safety reasons.
There were no doors at all. They were replaced by a hearth built from rock fragments, which not only heated the dwelling, but also served as a reliable protection against predators.
Of course, in the process of evolution, not only people changed, but also their places of parking.
Houses of ancient Palestinians
On the territory of Palestine, modern scientists managed to unearth the most important cities in the archaeological plan.
It has been established that these settlements were mainly built on hills and were well fortified both outside and inside. Very often one ofthe walls were protected by a cliff or a fast water stream. The city was walled.
Like many others, this culture, when choosing a place, was guided by the presence of a nearby source, the water from which was suitable for drinking and for irrigating crops. In case of a siege, local residents arranged a kind of underground reservoirs located under the homes of more prosperous citizens.
Wooden houses were considered a rarity. In general, preference was given to stone and adobe buildings. In order to protect the premises from soil dampness, the structure was built on a stone foundation.
The hearth was located in the central room directly under a special hole in the ceiling. The second floor and the presence of a large number of windows could only be afforded by the we althiest citizens.
Dwellings of the upper Mesopotamia
Not everyone knows that here some houses were two- or even several-story. For example, in the chronicles of Herodotus one can find mention of buildings in three or even four tiers.
The dwellings were covered with a spherical dome, which was sometimes very high. There was a hole at the top to let air in. By the way, it should be noted that there were almost never windows on the first floor. And there can be several explanations for this factor. Firstly, the locals in this way tried to protect themselves from external enemies. Secondly, religion did not allow them to flaunt the features of their private lives. Only went outsiderather narrow doors and loopholes, located at the level of human growth.
Above, terraces were built on brick pillars, which performed two functions at once. First of all, they were built so that the owner could rest there, hiding away from human eyes. But that's not all. Such a site made it possible to protect the roof from direct sunlight, and therefore from overheating. The upper terrace most often housed open galleries planted with flowers and exotic plants.
In this area, clay, reed and bitumen were considered the main building materials. Sometimes special brick or mosaic inlays were made in wooden supports to protect the tree from the ubiquitous ants.
Dwelling of ancient Indian culture
The ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro, located in India, was once surrounded by a powerful wall. There was also a sewerage system, which from individual houses was sent to the city sewer, equipped under the pavements.
In general, they preferred to build houses from fired brick, which was considered the most durable, and therefore reliable. The outer walls were more than massive and also sloped slightly inward.
Documents describing how ancient people built dwellings indicate that there was a porter's room in the homes of we althy locals. Almost always, there was also a small central courtyard, into which, for the purpose of additional lighting, numerous windows of the first and second floors were sure to open.
The yard was paved with bricks, there was a sewer right there. On theon the flat roof of the house, as a rule, a luxurious terrace was landscaped.
Ancient Greek house
Scientists have found that during the Trojan culture, most of the dwellings were a structure of a square or rectangular shape. There might have been a small portico ahead. In a room or part of a common room that served as a bedroom, special raised platforms were made for beds.
There were usually two outbreaks. One was for heating, the other for cooking.
The walls were also unusual. The lower 60 cm were laid out of stone, and a little higher, raw brick was used. The flat roof was not supported by anything else.
The poor preferred to settle in round or oval houses, because they were easier to heat, and there was no need to have several rooms. The rich, in their homes, allocated space not only for bedrooms, but also for dining rooms and pantries.
