AHSTARC : Thoughts on Prehistoric Architecture

The prehistoric time is the foundation of what we call our society today - from the structures we see and the way we live, everything originated from it. Ever since then, architecture started to evolve and until now still continues grow. As generations pass, new ideas are born, mistakes in the past serve as their teacher to create better structures. This is an on-going process and soon enough we’d be part of history and I hope by then we have contributed enough to its further development.

I think the main reason we study history is because without the past, we would not be who we are today. We must all know our roots. Just like a child born from a mother, our society was born from the prehistoric times. According to Dr. Carl Segan, "You need to know the past to understand the present.”.  People have studied the past, to understand and correlate everything, know more about our origins, and how everything came about. Without our past, we wouldn’t be seeing majestic structures we appreciate now – architecture would not have been born. We wouldn’t have an idea how those simple monoliths turned into structures that will eventually be useful to man.

As we were discussing prehistoric architecture last Tuesday, I was amazed by how from nothing people were able to come up with using simple stones to create such marvelous structures like the Stonehenge, tent and tombs. I admire how resourceful and witty the people were then having been able to construct their own homes using simple tools and discover means for survival.  The simple structures they build capitalizing mainly on their ingenuity and skill they influenced  greatly our modern day architects and designers. The prehistoric times gives us a view of the evolution of architecture.  It shows us the process of creating a structure. First, we define the purpose of the structure then we consider its aesthetics. Now, that these intricate structures stand before me I am reminded that from simple structures, architecturee was born.

The prehistoric times should serve as an inspiration to all that is in the field of architecture. Let it remind us that artistry and craftsmanship is not solely dependent on the availability of modern materials and gadgets. The prehistoric men had only stones as tools and materials and yet were able to come up with breath-taking creations. The foundations for their immortal works are mainly their passion and inborn artistic talent.  May they inspire us in our chosen field!

My sketch of the Stonehenge - Wilshire,England