Paper short abstract:

This paper introduces the study of the domestic architectural remains of Neolithic Northern Greece as the end-products of specific construction practices. It is an attempt to integrate equally balanced technological and social perspectives in the analysis of the human built environment.

Paper long abstract:

Architectural practices constitute an appropriate field for the application of combined technological and social perspectives into the study of human action. Domestic buildings, rather than being examined as spatial and organisational products containing other materials and activities, can also be viewed as technological and cultural products or 'artifacts'. Stemming from this, the analysis of house construction may contribute to the understanding of certain choices, technological criteria, as well as the constellations of knowledge surrounding the whole process.

This paper introduces the study of the domestic architectural remains of Neolithic Northern Greece, by focusing on the construction practices in their wider social context. Selected case studies will be presented in order a) to reconstruct the different stages and ramifications of the building process, and b) to demarcate the multi-faceted aspects that influence the nature and degree of homogeneity or diversity in the architectural record. The former issue refers to the segmentation of certain sequences of activities (from the ways of processing building materials to the ways in which they are finally transformed) in time and space. The latter issue will address the determining or 'suggestive' role that specific variables play in the shaping of human built environments. These include external broad-limiting factors, such as physical environments and locally available materials (with their potentials and limitations), as well as social conceptions and constraints. Moreover, attention will be drawn to the role of tradition and social agency in house construction, as well as to the socialities involved.