Architectural developments during the Neolithic period show important innovations, e.g., the discovery and use of the right angle and the use of activity floors placed on top of each other. Although these developments influenced our building history and our understanding of architecture in general, archaeological studies on Near eastern Neolithic architecture focussing on the building processes are rare.
Based on the architectural findings, (preliminary) reports, archaeological records and field studies by the author, the Pre-Pottery-Neolithic B (PPNB) architecture of Shkārat Msaied and Baʻja, both located in the Greater Petra area in Jordan, is analysed, interpreted and reconstructed using archaeological and building archaeological methods. The results of the building archaeological studies will help to understand better also the architecture of other Neolithic sites in the Southern Levant.
A particular focus of this study is the scientific reconstruction of early Neolithic architecture. The reconstruction covers not only common building principles during the PPN, but also aspects of appearance, structure and construction, as well as space and life concepts.
To gain a better understanding of the PPNB architecture of Shkārat Msaied and Baʻja the buildings and archaeological contexts are compared with the architecture of other Neolithic sites in the Near East and (sub-) recent traditional architecture of areas around the world with comparable climatic and geographic parameters. Besides structural and functional aspects, the study focuses on the building processes, knowledge transfer of building technologies, and the site formation processes as well as the creation and development of space and societies.