Neolithic Structures
Early Neolithic Structures Timeline
Göbekli Tepe
Göbekli Tepe is a Neolithic archaeological site in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. The settlement was inhabited from c. 9500 to at least 8000 BCE, during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic.
Jericho Pre-Pottery Neolithic
Jericho a period around 8000 BC. It is part of Tell es-Sultan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the State of Palestine, in the city of Jericho, consisting of the remains of the oldest fortified city in the world.
Çatalhöyük
Çatalhöyük is a tell of a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from approximately 7500 BCE to 6400 BCE.
Mehrgarh
Mehrgarh is a Neolithic archaeological site situated on the Kacchi Plain of Balochistan in modern-day Pakistan. It is located near the Bolan Pass, to the west of the Indus River between the modern-day Pakistani cities of Quetta.
Aquae Calidae
Aquae Calidae, also known as Therma and Thermopolis in the Middle Ages, was an ancient town in Thrace located in the territory of today's Bulgarian port city of Burgas on the Black Sea.
Neolithic Dwellings
Neolithic Clothing
Early Neolithic Structures
Some of the earliest known neolithic structures date back to 12,000 B.C.E. But recent discoveries in Indonesia have found an early site in Gunung Padang that dates back to circa 10,000-12,000 B.C.E. What interest me the most about these early structures is what in nature was commonly felt by people from different regions, to without doubt begin to build these massive structures. My first thought is that the simplest commonality is death, experienced by all. In Neolithic times the average life expectancy of men and women was between 20–33. So it could be due to the rather short life span that people wanted to build places where they felt connected to loved ones. It could have also been believed that the gathering of people into one area represented a form of power, or safety in numbers. This could also been seen as a community gathering place where people could talk about problems and solutions.
Early Languages Pictographs & Hieroglyphs
Writing Samples courtesy of Ancientscripts.com Copyright © 1996-2005, Lawrence Lo. All Rights Reserved
You can see from these early writing forms that these languages are 90% pictorial 80% geometry it appears that most forms resemble things found in nature and have been stylized (simplified) making them in most likelihood more universal and easy to reproduce. The development of a written language serves to catalog events in a civilization to communicate to the masses but the key here is communication & documentation. I believe that these early iterations of language operate on many levels one of the key factors here also relating to the early use of symbols we saw on the pottery on the previous pages is the use of symbols and how they relate to our own thinking process. Recent work in neurophysiology have put forth the idea that experiences are converted to symbols and processed by the brain with this in mind it is easy to conclude that it is our physical nature that dictates the use of symbols in culture. This makes it easy to see how there use became so entrenched so early on, and for so long.
As you can see there are many similarities in these Petroglyph. Even though they were found in different locations throughout the world. This seems to support the idea of the use of symbols, as a physical parameter for the process of thought itself. It is important to keep in mind that these early artist and shaman had a relationship to nature that bordered on maternal. It was widely held in many parts of the world that every action of men had repercussions to nature and the land. This ideal also had a relationship to the elements that where used to create objects this also became one of the founding principles around alchemy and early magic rituals. It follows to conclude that the common elements among us found daily in nature are those things we find pleasing or what we have come to term as (aesthetic). i.e
- Sun (yellow)
- Sky (blue, orange, violet, white, gray)
- Trees (green, red, white)
- Flowers (variegated colors)
- Water (aqua, turquoise)
- Animal Skins (leopard, giraffes, cows, mink)
- Rocks (variegated colors)
- Sand (variegated colors) etc…
- Gold
- Silver
- Bronze
- Lapis Lazuli
- Copper
- Cadmium
- Wax
- Cobalt
- Zinc
- Indigo
These elements each acquired there own importance over time some became associated with royalty and religious iconography. What’s more important to take note of is the relationship of these elements and how they are used in works of art i.e. (The sun or natural light may be illustrated in religious works by using gold leaf the reflection of Gods light by the physical reflection of gold. )
Use of geometry in painting & stone work.
Use of geometry in Islamic painting
Intricate braided and interlaced patterns, called plaits are found in late Roman art in many parts of Europe, in mosaic floors and other media. Coptic manuscripts and textiles of 5th- and 6th-century Christian Egypt are decorated with broad-strand ribbon interlace ornament bearing a “striking resemblance” to the earliest types of knotwork found in the Insular art manuscripts of the British Isles. The Petronas like other major architecture found in South Eastern Asia countries uses geometry found in the creation of religious manuscripts. Malaysia is considered a Muslim/Islamist state so major architectural works such as the Petronas must conform to this belief. Designs and patterns of the entrance halls’ foyer reflect traditional handicrafts and ‘songket’, or weaving. In addition, the wall panels and screens are also inspired by hardwood carvings from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The floor designs are based on intricate patterns of pandan weaving and bertam palm wall matting.
