Human Settlement and Town Planning

JBR College of Architecture

Unit I: Origin and History of Early

Settlements and Types
Arshiya S , Architect and Urban Designer
Early Hominids

≈ 5 million years ago - Central Africa, Forest Dwellers, diet, in/dependent

≈ 4 million years - Eithiopia, Lucy, warm savannas, no shelter or fire

≈ 3.5 million years – South Africa , Jasperite, symbolic thought and self awareness
Early Hominids

≈ 2 million years ago – Handy Man, tools and

material migration, forest receded, dry-cool, dietery
changes, dev. of brain, mental map, territories,
Physical and social changes for hunting

≈ 1.25 million years ago – Homo Erectus, posture

and bi-pedal, genetically or climatically adaptive,
control immediate climate, fire with lightning,
migrated long to China, East Asia and Europe, no
fire, no survival.
Early Hominids

≈ 4-3 lakh years – Terra Amata , oldest known settlement or the First Architecture
21 units, annuals, prevailing winds in Nice. (NW).

Hearth , community. ochre, control environment for comfort.

8-15 m in length by 4-6 meter wide, 3 inches branches,

rocks, ridge beam
Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens

≈ 200000 years – HS Neanderthals in Europe and spread in upper Africa, Europe

and Near East

Rock shelter, developed advanced stone tools, but scant remains of built
structures, burial : religious or thought practice

≈ 1,30000 years, HS Sapiens in Africa, lived together, bred, but died out eventually.

Paleolithic or old Stone Age, Cro-Magnon dwelling, organic material, units,

Cycle of life, cosmos, painting and sculpture
.
.
. Last ice age

9 meter in diameter, fired clay, clay mixed

with bone dust
Cosquer Cave , Marsaille and Chauvet Cave, Paris

Scaffolds, pigments, dusted bone, fat,

Neolithic Dwelling and Structures

Monte Verde, 14,500 BP, coastal migration, organic materials, creek course, peat
Ritual centers

Gobekli Tepe Sanctuary , 11,600 BC, 22 acres, nomadic people came together at
intervals, shrine for the dead, Temple predated cities, stones, labourers, 200 pillars
in 20 circles, tiers, significance of rituals, predating agriculture and permanent
human settlement.
Agropastoral Lands, Levant

9000 – 8000 BC, agriculture and permanent settlements

Two plants
Domestication
Ritual practice and gender roles
Clan lineage – chieftains, castles, ritual specialists
Catal Hayuk, Konya 7500 BC

Obsidian, Cu and Pb
8000 People by 3rd millennium
Carasamba, clay
Built on mound in marshes
Farming and trading

32 acres

150-10,000 inhabitants
City or urban, complex social system
Communal living, tasks divided, services

Comfortable city life – grow food, manage irrigation, make bread, make
pots/utensils for storage, smelt Cu, make tools, ritual observance, maintain shrines,
build houses.
Catal Hayuk, Konya 7500 BC
Indus valley Civilisation

Balochistan
Agtopastoral
Hill side farming

Community to proto-urban environments

Kachi Plan, Quetta
Regional trading center, 200 acres

By 3500 BCE, extensive grain farming

Granaries
Mud plaster
Rectangular rooms connected and fed
from top

Social Organisation
Ritual life
Lapiz lazuli etc
Changes in society

Diversified production
Storage and complex distribution
Security
Inter clan rivalry
Specialised knowledge systems – Science
and Astronomy
Mysticism and witchcraft
Spare and leisure

Political leadership
Economic leadership
Religious leadership

Regional contexts
Plain and hilly
Sumerian Civilization – Mesopotamia
Land between the rivers
Geography: 30’ – 36’ N latitude
No earthquake
Undulating terrain
Wld life abundant
Cultivation 500 years, marshes to flat land

Landscape transformation
Irrigation due to river courses – dikes and
canals
Labour and resources
Top –down worldview

Examples: Eridu and Ur

Horizons/Planes straight
Movement on foot along, but steps
Across
Small settlement
Parallel houses to bank
Roads parallel, crossroads stepped
Ziggurats developed
Geometric/ rectilinear
Political: Surrounded by hilly areas
Repeated invasion
Leadership
Divine assurance

Economy:
Agricultural
Space extensive, outside settlement
Granary – location and security
Defense areas

Socio-Cultural:
Social stratification – conqueror,
defeated
Captives, slaves, labour
Mysticism
Religious

Organisation – Political leader, rich,

religious, priests and people, Granary –
defense
Technology:

No industrial activity
Building and construction affected by
damns and irrigation
Straight lines, parallel lines – terracing,
dams inspired ziggurats
Foot and river transportation
Spine was water supply, central
River course changing
Egyptian Civilisation

Geography: 15 – 30’ N latitude

No earthquake
Plain
Hot dry – desert on EW and hills on SE
No invasion

Agricultural
Trade limited
Economic and Political leadership in one

Examples: Tell Amora and Kahun

Socio-Cultural Aspect:

Shifting agriculture
Corn King and religion
Single person leadership
Power, wealth, knowledge, ethics
Social groupings: lord, rich, common man,
slaves/ labourers
Technology:

Pictographic writing
Tablets and Stylus
Immortal King – rituals and rites
Pyramids
Industrial activity – pottery, stonework,
Jewelry and riches
Building and construction by stone
Transport on surface
One side settlement
The pyramid workers' town was placed by
the bank of the Nile one km from
Senwosret's pyramid. It held a cemetery
(and single tombs in the open area left of
the center), stores, workshops etc. The
laborers' quartes with small rooms (left
third of the picture) were separated by an
inner wall. The east outer wall had a gate
leading to a long "street."
Orient Culture and Civilisation : India

Veda – Direct revelation from God

Four vedas – Rig: sermons for nature worship
Samveda: tunes and music for nature worship
Yajurveda: magical power and supernatural methods
Vedanga : phonetics, rituals, grammar, itemology, rhythm, and astronomy

Upanishads: moral, philosophy, ethics

Satyayuga (Veda), Tretayuga, Dwapatyuga, Kaliyuga

Yuga:6000 years
Orient Culture and Civilisation : India

Geography: Mod temp, 24 to 32 lat, north of Vindhyas

No earthquake zone
Land was plain, wildlife
Cultivation easy, and snow fed water land
Marshy lands

Political: Defense not so high

Smaller communities

Economic: Agricultural
Food security not necessary

Socio-cultural: Not much stratification

Division of labour
Art, Rituals, Science developed

Technology:
No industry, no defence
Permanent construction
No utilities or services
Astronomy was developed
Indus Valley Civilisation, 3000 BC

Seat of civilization: Mahabharata time

Wheels, metals, arithmetics, coins, expression and representation

Geography: Mod temp, 24 to 32 lat, north of Vindhyas

Aryan migration, less influence of Vedic

Political: Militant invaders, natives captires, and land settled

No requirements of defense walls

Economic: Agricultural and dairy

Cow and chickens imported
Trade and commerce developed: areas for agrculture, industry, trade and
commerce
Coins

Socio-cultural: Divion of labour acute

Social stratification
Religion, ethics, art, philosophy etc
Zoning temple , public squares, royal palace, dairy, craftsmen, trade
center

Technology:
Metals, coins, weights, knowledge of geometry, advanced drain and water
supply
Crete Civilization, 2000 – 1200 BC

Geography:

Island civilization
Undulating and rugged
Mediterranean climate – rigorous
cold and relaxing heat
Earthquake prone, fire break-outs
Forest growth
Tidal waves
Coastline harbors

Political Development:

Protected
Low defense
90 cities, 8 divisions
Settlements not walled
Extensive commerce needed
Strong maritime power –
Traders
Crete Civilization, 2000 – 1200 BC

Economic Dev:

Agriculture (rainfall)
Vegetables
Polyculture - diet and population
Seafood
Trade : Wine, marble, jewellery and ceramics,
glass, weapons
Olive industry
Use of timber
Ware house and godowns near port and coast
Food store at the center
Earthquake and construction industry

Socio-cultural Development:

Worship of natural phenomenon, personified

gods
Priestess, protectors, fertility
Intensive trade and commerce – coastal areas
Defense leadership different from
administrative
Industry and defense separated from
settlement
Few social stratification
Crete Civilization, 2000 – 1200 BC

Technological Development:

Recessed windows
Underground drainage
Compass – rectilinear and geometry
Aqueducts
Courtyard planning – grid layout
Topography not uniform, therefore curvilinear
arterial roads

Examples of cities : Knossos and Gornia

Greek Civilization, 12c BC to 600 AD

Warfare
Alexander the Great
Civic Culture
City states
Invasion from noth
Culture rich

Land owning class – noble class

Power and domination of cities
Peasant class – oppression
Merchant class

Eg: Athens
Ruling class powerful with help of
merchants and peasants
Political organisation : by people,
for people
Estates of nobles were divided
amongst people
Principle of law for social conduct
Individual responsibility reduced

Freedom: Search for truth,

development of Philosophy, Maths,
Science, Logic and Law
Warfare
Alexander the Great
Civic Culture
City states
Invasion from noth
Culture rich

Land owning class – noble class

Power and domination of cities
Peasant class – oppression
Merchant class

Eg: Athens
Ruling class powerful with help of
merchants and peasants
Political organisation : by people,
for people
Estates of nobles were divided
amongst people
Principle of law for social conduct
Individual responsibility reduced

Freedom: Search for truth,

development of Philosophy, Maths,
Science, Logic and Law