Pre-Historic Design

The pre-historic period gives us a great deal of insight into the way people lived during a time when survival was their main focus. They took advantage of their surroundings and the resources they had at hand in order to find shelter and escape the elements. Doing this included the use of pit houses, caves, and igloos, depending on their geographical location. These homes rarely included decorative elements since they were mostly just focused being functional and protective as they were a vital means of survival. They did, however, sometimes include paintings on the walls depicting details of their lives like animals and activities.

Unlike our homes today, these dwellings often not include furniture, largely because people were nomadic. Instead, they again relied on their resources around them by using items like straw, hay, and pelts. They did also weave blankets, which were one of the most decorative things in this period as they incorporated colors and patterns that were significant to their group, religion, or traditions. Although the ruins and artifacts from this period are limited, it gives us an important look into the lives of early civilization and their basic needs.

The impact of the pre-historic era can still be seen in the designs of today as well:

 A custom Tom Spina chair designed to look like the rough rock furnishings of pre-historic homes.

A bedroom inspired by the cave homes of the pre-historic era.

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A home built into the large rock formation around it

There is also an interesting video of a pre-historic village that was discovered in Tuscany. The photos show artifacts that were left by the people who lived there.

Peer Review:

Alexandra did a great job of describing each of the three pre-historic time periods and going into detail about their characteristics. I also enjoyed the video of Stonehenge that allowed a closer look since you normally just see photos of the site. 

Emma included a very interesting photo of the Gulf of Cambay in India, which shows evidence of sunken city from 9,500 B.C. Since this is before it was thought that humans were capable of building cities of that size, it's interesting to see just how much we still have to learn about pre-historic people.