Many primitive habitations, even quite rude ones
built with no intention of defense, are characterized by small doors and
windows. The planning of dwellings and the distribution of openings in
such a manner as to protect and render comfortable the inhabited rooms
implies a greater advance in architectural skill than these builders had
achieved.
The inconveniently small size of the doorways of the modern pueblos is
only a survival of ancient conditions. The use of full-sized doors,
admitting a man without stooping, is entirely practicable at the present
day, but the conservative builders persist in adhering to the early
type. The ancient position of the door, with its sill at a considerable
height from the ground, is also retained. From the absence of any
convenient means of rigidly closing the doors and windows, in early
times external openings were restricted to the smallest practicable
dimensions. The convenience of these openings was increased without
altering their dimensions by elevating them to a certain height above
the ground. In the ruin of Kin-tiel there is marked uniformity in the
height of the openings above the ground, and such openings were likely
to be quite uniform when used for similar purposes. The most common
elevation of the sills of doorways was such that a man could readily
step over at one stride. It will be seen that the same economy of space
has effected the use of windows in this system of architecture.
Pages:
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321