Prehistory to Early Civilizations
                Dolmens and 
                Barrows
                Stone Henge, England – used for 
                ceremonies or rituals connected with 
                observation of astronomical 
                movements
                2750-1500 BCE
                Dolmens – linked to burial rites
                Barrow – large stone placed on top of 
                two or three upright stones covered 
                with earth form a kind of tomb
                   Lack of houses surviving is due to
                             Usage of less lasting materials
                             People were generally migratory – portable 
                             and light materials were used
                   History of Interior Design                                                                                                                                           Sofia                            2
                                                                                               Sebastian    
                                                             Prehistory to Early Civilizations
           Evidence from tribal cultures                                                  The native American tepee 
                                                                                          was a round, portable 
            Terra Amata                                                                   structure with a frame of 
            South France – 400,000 years old                                              wooden poles and a covering 
            Huts made from tree branches                                                  of skin. The inside did not 
                                                                                          have any added treatment or 
                                                                                          furniture
            Tribal Africa, in the islands of Pacific, in 
            the Arctic and in the North and South 
            American continents
            Wigwam – an early form of shelter in                                                                         The  tepee  of  the  American  plains  had  a 
            primitive cultures                                                                                           frame of  long  poles  tied  together  at  the 
            Made up of tree branches tied together at                                                                    top. Its outer walls were skins arranged to 
            the top with enclosing surfaces being built                                                                  have a door flap and a top flap that could 
            up by weaving more flexible twigs and                                                                        be adjusted to control air circulation, allow 
            branches through the main structure                                                                          penetration of day light and act as a smoke 
            Tepee – Wigwam covered with skins for eg                                                                     outlet
            exterior plastering with mud                                                                                 The whole tepee was portable
                   History of Interior Design                                                                                                                                           Sofia                            3
                                                                                               Sebastian    
                                                             Prehistory to Early Civilizations
                  The Yurt or Ger of the Buryar peoples of 
                  Mongolia  uses  a  vertical  wall  frame  of 
                  lattice strips that collapse for transport but 
                  are expanded and tied to form a circle
                                                                                                                 Mongolian yurt
                                                                                                                 Portable structure with an enclosing wall of 
                                                                                                                 lattice strips supporting a roof support of 
                                                                                                                 poles. The exterior was covered with skins or 
                                                                                                                 mats. Inside boxes to hold possessions, rugs 
                                                                                                                 and stools created spaces with considerable 
                                                                                                                 aesthetic character
                  History of Interior Design                                                                                                                                           Sofia                             4
                                                                                              Sebastian    
                                                             Prehistory to Early Civilizations
                                                                                                                                Igloo – Dome like structural form 
                                                                                                                                made of snow
                                                                                                                                Characteristics – small (reflect the 
                                                                                                                                limited availability of materials) and 
                                                                                                                                round (forms of nature)
                                                                                                                                Igloo – snow house
                                                                                                                                The blocks cut from snow are laid up 
                                                                                                                                in  concentric  circles  of  diminishing 
                                                                                                                                size to form a dome
                            An entrance tunnel of snow blocks is angled  
                            to  prevent  penetration  by  the  prevailing 
                            winds.  Within  the  house  proper,  skins  are 
                            used to line the walls leaving an airspace for 
                            insulation
                            Raised platforms lift the interior floor level 
                            and acts as a substitute for furniture
                   History of Interior Design                                                                                                                                           Sofia                            5
                                                                                               Sebastian    
                                                             Prehistory to Early Civilizations
            In Cameroon, Africa – there are villages of 
            multi-room houses – each room is a round 
            hut  with  special  function  (living  space, 
            kitchen,  store  room  or  stable)  with 
            covered  doorway  links  between  related 
            hut rooms. Walls are constructed of mud, 
            with roofs of thatch resting like hats on the 
            walls.
             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 grouped together 
             to make a house complex.
             The  simple  interiors  held  storage  containers  and 
             sleeping pads on the dirt floors
                   History of Interior Design                                                                                                                                           Sofia                            6
                                                                                               Sebastian