engleski

Prehistoric Drywall Architecture: Reconstruction of Form and Function

Remains of drywall architecture dated to the second half of the 3rd Millennium BCE were unearthed during rescue archaeological excavation at the Pod site, a small valley surrounded by higher hills in the Bukovica region of Dalmatian hinterland in present-day Croatia. As architectural remains from the period in question are relatively rare and as it is widely accepted that elevated positions were preferred during that time, this type of lowland settlement remains can offer a significant contribution to our understanding of regional landscape usage. The excavation covered only a part of the preserved remains, but their spatial relations and specific variations in construction suggest significant differences in form and function. Furthermore, their occurrence in the region which is characterised by rugged karst formations, scarce water sources and rare karst fields suggests a specific impact of natural conditions on human activities, probably similar to that which until recently was easily observed. Analysis of the landscape and natural conditions, as well as consideration of ethnographic analogies, which provide information about the construction and usage of drywall architecture, as well as the life in the region during more recent time periods, gives the possibility to propose the reconstruction of appearance and interpretation of function of the excavated remains. Along with the analysis of recorded differences in the distribution of ceramic material collected at the site, better understanding of drywall architecture usage in given spatial and temporal framework can be obtained.

prehistory, drywall architecture, landscape, form, function

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