You just can’t live on the dirt or on a fresh bed of leaves anymore. That leaky cave just won’t do, so what did the early humans do to make changes within their living arrangements. This article explores some of the worldwide advancements, from 10,000 BCE- 7,000 BCE, such as the creation of houses on top of one another, which are created when a family line dies out.
In 10,000 BCE, a mortar that was created during this time held houses created from bricks that were dried in the sun together. These houses became common in areas throughout Jericho, which could be located on the West Bank. Evidence of the oldest wall ever known was built in Jericho, which dates back to 8,000 BCE. The wall consisted of boulders that didn’t need the help of mortar to fuse them together. The wall stands at more than 12 feet high and displays a thickness of 6 feet and 6 inches at the base. The inhabitants of Jericho, which were dubbed the Pre-Pottery Neolithics, built houses from brick dried in the sun, which were created by their hands. No molds were used for this type of creation. The houses were also created in the shape of a dome.
It is also in 8,000 BCE where stone house can be found in the Tell Mureybit area of Syria. The inhabitants of these houses do not farm at this time and are mainly hunters. This adds to the theory that farming did not lead to the establishment of housing communities. In 7,500 BCE, the evidence of a large village can be found dating back to this time period. It served as a home base for about 10,000 people in the Catalhoyuk area in Turkey. The houses were created from mud and brick, which were spaced quite closely to one another. A curious detail of these houses was the fact that people entered the homes, not from a front or back door, but from a hole that was placed in the roof. Several generations of families lived within the same home, laying their dead to rest under the floors. The interior of their residences showcased murals on the walls. When the heritage line of the family dies out, the house is filled in and a new home was built on top of the other. Can you imagine the sight of such construction?
Returning to Jericho during the time period of 7,000 BCE and you will encounter a group of people, who reside in rectangular-shaped houses, created from mortar and bricks that have been dried in the sun. A process of heating limestone and combining it with sand and water has been invented at this time. The term for this process is dubbed “burned lime” by archaeologists. This substance was also used to plaster the walls and floors of a home.
The Yangshao people, who make their homes from mud and timber underneath the earth, once achieved underground living. These circular huts were found by the Huang He, also known as the Yellow River, in China. An interesting feature of these huts, include the accessory of large kilns that were used from making painted pottery.