A computational perspective on the dynamics of early architecture

Changes and variation in the shape of architectural remains have often been tied to changes in social structure and organization, demography, hierarchy, subsistence, mobility and more. While there is an immeasurable amount of architectural data collection, there are no agreed upon standards for documentation and analysis. Here we present for the first time an objective and repeatable method for quantifying and comparing structure forms, in an attempt to shed new light on questions of architectural dynamics. Our case study is the Neolithization process in the Near East, traditionally regarded as a change from rounded to rectangular forms. We digitize building outlines from published plan drawings and objectively quantify their two-dimensional morphology via the directionality of the normal vectors and minimum angles. This pilot study includes a sample of 118 structures deriving from 23 sites in the Mediterranean region and Jordan Valley of the southern Levant. Our results show that there is considerably more variability than can be subsumed in the traditional ‘round to rectangular’ scheme of architectural development. We identify construction of right angles as early as the Natufian and show that early architecture throughout the Natufian and Pre-Pottery Neolithic A is less restricted by formal conventions. On the other hand, during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, variability is more constrained, potentially suggesting a codification of architectural norms.