Why do you think humans evolved to seek "better" looking dwellings when the primitive cave could serve all the functions that a modern house could? How did humans develop the need to produce a separate dwelling away from the caves? I set to put my own theories on how and why this happened.
1. The Origins:
We all can conclude that some of the first housing was caves which gave Paleolithic men its moniker. These caves supported some of the normal functions that we associate with the modern life such as sleeping area and kitchen. To emulate the modern fireplace, Paleolithic people used fireplaces to use as means of keeping themselves warm. These three key elements would strongly define the key characteristic that modern houses are judged by - how many bedrooms, bathroom and living space (recreation) and the kitchen.
2. Migration:
It is also understood that all humans have descended from continental Africa whee the nomadic lifestyle meant depleting several areas of game animals and berry bushes. Now, there are not a lot of caves in Sub-Saharan Africa, but there are trees and plenty of foliage. Not knowing how to react o natural disasters, these humans then find shelter under these trees and then eventually incorporate leaves and stones to create a sense of space. It is also notable that these humanoid primates discovered the need to have a roof over its head. This is essentially the discovery of one of the key elements of a human dwelling; roof. However, the concept of walls is still abstract for these cavemen. It took their nomadic lifestyle to take them into Europe, Asia and North America, where winter during the cold climates taught early humans the importance of Walls; Blizzards, Wind and Snow are just some of the things that require the existence of walls in order to provide a comfortable environment. Thus, the significance of walls was introduced into the human mind. Weather wasn't the only thing encouraging the presence of walls; the dangers of prehistoric animals in Winter made living rather dangerous because these milder climates produce Blizzards and fog which obstruct human vision, therefore decreasing reaction time against animal attacks.
3. Early humans put it all together: the first primitive "artificial" house
All houses not formed by natural means are by strict definition, artificial. Migration plays a very significant role in accomplishing this. These early migrants were not motivated by lure of exploration, instead they migrated further and further because it would allow them to gain access to more animals and berry patches that would allow them to sustain themselves. When these humans reached the corners of Earth, the obvious problem struck them - how do they survive without an abundance of animals to kill? This prompted the eventual development of farming and domestication of certain animals that were easy to kill and breed. Which also meant that these people would have to pursue a more permanent form of living. This would mark the true beginning of architecture, not as an extension of artistic expression, but rather as a form of function. However, certain elements do have to be adopted to make this work. However, the evolution from natural dwellings to artificial ones did not occur instantly; instead it occurred because of the discovery of fire which lead to greatly reducing infant mortality, thus increasing the human population. Even if early nomadic people discovered fire earlier, the need to move frequently often insures that the weak gets left behind. This is also a prominent early example of natural selection and survival of the fittest. Through the curing of meats through fire and the process of natural selection, these people are able to live a bit longer. Initially, these humans settled themselves in earthen houses, with the roofs and walls formed by natural hills and other natural formations. However, these humans were able to create openings and spaces inside these formations and establish a house.
4. Our stereotypical house begins
The rising population meant one thing; it meant that food would have to be stored somewhere and these additional people would also need its own houses. This lead to the development of the first truly artificial houses, using natural materials to fashion a human dwelling. I would imagine these people learned after trial and error not to create a house with a flat roof in wet places. Out of necessity of function, the sloped roof began to take form as the most dominant roof type in human history (thus far). This, as mentioned is purely for functional reasons, not for aesthetics. The wall is where human culture have differed in this early stage - some have circular, some have rectangular and yet some merely extended the reach of the roof to create the first permanent "tent". These are the most basic forms of human architecture, with these houses vary differently by size according to hierarchy and family size. These are also made from easy to gather materials such as straw and rocks, as humans still have not acquired metallic tools. These are the first houses, and the interior does not create interior walls to separate the different functions of the house apart.
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