Neolithic

Architecture

Neolithic Architecture
In the Neolithic Period we find the first formal architecture. Formal architecture is
planned and predesigned. The structures were usually public or shared by members
of a group. The design of a structure expressed the aesthetic, social and religious
values of the society. The first formal structures of the Neolithic period appear to be
temples.

Architectural Structures
Some basic designs for archways and roofs that date from the Neolithic era are post-
and-lintel and corbelling.
A basic post and lintel consists of two upright
posts or pillars supporting a horizontal beam,
or lintel, across the top. The width of a lintel is
limited by its tensile strength. Tensile strength
measures the point at which the lintel will
break under its own weight or from the weight
placed upon it.
A corbelled arch is created with cantilevered
stones. Cantilevered stones are supported only
at one end. Each new row of stone extends
farther toward the center of the opening than
the row below it. It does not collapse because
the greater part of each stone is supported.

Post and Lintel Corbelled Arch

Megalithic Architecture
In the Neolithic era tombs and ceremonial structures were constructed from large
stones. This is known a megalithic architecture, from the Greek words mega for
large and lithos for stone.

Stonehenge
Stonehenge is located in the Salisbury Plane in
southern England. The earliest configuration
was built in about 2900 BCE. It was rebuilt and
restructured over the centuries to include rings
and horseshoes of stones, postholes and
ditches.
In the earliest phase, the site is marked by
Aubrey holes, named for John Aubrey, the
English antiquarian who discovered them. The
Aubrey holes are significant because they form
a celestial calendar.

Completed Stonehenge (artist rendering)

Neolithic Architecture

The most remarkable stone settings are the sarsen circle and the horseshoe of
trilithons.
The sarsens are sandstone and weigh 20 to 30 tons
each. They were originally topped with a continuous
circle of lintels, fitted together with mortise and tenon
joints.
The trilithons are freestanding post and lintel
structures arranged in a horseshoe.
Amid the arrangements sarsens and the trilithons are
a circle and an oval of bluestones. The bluestones may
have been transported from the Preseli Hills in Wales,
about 200 miles from Stonehenge.
Included within Stonehenge are the Slaughter Stone,
the Alter Stone and the Heel Stone. The Heel Stone
marks the rising sun on the summer solsticethe
longest day of the year. This suggests that the primary
use of Stonehenge was as an observatory and celestial
calendar. The positioning and spacing of Aubrey holes
can be used to mark solar and lunar events and to
predict eclipses.

Part of the Sarsen Ring

Mortise-tenon joints of sarsen stones

Surely these occurrences were perceived to be mystical. We can assume that a
variety of religious celebrations and rituals were practiced in connection with the
observation and marking of solar and lunar events. The Slaughter Stone and the
Altar Stone hint at the nature of these traditions.
The great stones could have been transported and positioned using the technology
known to Neolithic people. Using a variety of sledges, rollers and ramps, similarly
large stones were maneuvered by the Neolithic people of Easter Island to erect their
monolithic statues. These techniques were also used by the Egyptians to build the
pyramids.

Neolithic Architecture

Terminology

Formal architecture
Megalith
Aubrey holes
Post and Lintel
Tensile strength
Corbelling
Cantilever
Trilithon
Sarsen
Mortise and tenon