René Ohlrau

Defining social space inside Tripolian mega sitesA socio-architectural approach

© Mark Weaver

Axioms and definitions : Social SpaceINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Classic approach – Political economy• Value by euclidian/economic distance • Spatial distribution of value and means to produce value• Relations of values between social positions (Bourdieu)

Configuration approach – “Sozialraumanalyse”• Social reproduction by interaction (Giddens/Lefebre)• Relations of interaction possibilities (Löw) • Built space enables/blocks/directs• Access control of interaction possibilities

Integration of approaches: Access control of WHAT values WHERE by WHOM?

Social space = Division of abstract and physical space by social structure

Sociology of architecture in archaeology INTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Methodological possibilities in Archaeology

Classical materialistic approach (MacGuire/Shiffer 1983)

• Interdependencies of production/use/maintenance • Durability/Material• Labour investment• Size• Display

Cognitive anthropological approach (Ohlrau in press)

• Spatial access control of interaction possibilities (Hillier/Hanson 1984; Hillier 2007)

• Degrees of privacy/publicity (Hillier/Hanson 1984; Hillier 2007)

• Group size and scalar stress (Johnson 1982; Feinman 2011; Alberti 2014)

Case study:Defining social space inside Tripolian mega sites

Space and timeINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Tripolye C

Mega sites of Uman regionTripolye B - C

Mega sitesINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Maidanetske

Talianki

(Rassmann et al. 2014)

(Rassmann et al. 2014)

Mega sitesINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

(Chapman et al. 2014)

Dobrovody Nebelivka

(Rassmann et al. 2014)

Analytical variables INTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

What can we analyse?

Size

Location

Relation

Petreni

Maidanetske

Talianki

Dobrovody

Nebelivka

Diversity of architectureINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Chernovol 2012

Diversity of architectureINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

MaidanetskeDerived fromChapman et al. 2014

Clustering housesINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Statistics Talianki Maidanetske

N 302 522

Minimum 2 2

Maximum 30 41

Mean 4.5 7

SD 3.50 5.75

Median 3 5

(Rapoport 1982, 33)

On average 20-45 people per group

Matches natural group size (Hassan 1981)

INTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Giving meaning to

non-vernacular architecture

Space syntax analysisINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Intervisibility Natural movementLines of sight

Intervisibility, public exposure and power relationsINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

PublicPrivate

Highest visibility correlates with biggest buildings

Intervisibility as social institution (Wilson 1988)

Power and the concept of the Panopticon

“[…] the Panopticon must not beunderstood as a dreambuilding; it is thediagram of a mechanism of power reducedto its ideal form”Foucault's Discipline and Punish 1977

(Bentham 1791)

Lines of sight – a visual NetworkINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Settlement layout and building typology INTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

?

1

2

3

4

Maidanetske topologyINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Outside Central plaza

Outer rim

Inner rim

?

Agent based pedestrian movementINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

Cellswalked by

Hierarchies, relations and neighbourhood formationINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

?

1

2

34

(Rapoport 1977)

Scalar Stress and the limits of settlement growthsINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

3:1

15:1

10:1

5:1

(19):1

(Fletcher 1995)

1-2 ha 100 ha 100 km²

(Jo

hn

son

19

82

)

ConclusionsINTERNATIONAL OPEN WORKSHOP 2015Session 5 - The organisation of social space

• There are significant differences in size of architecture

• Those differences show a distinct spatial pattern

• Vernacular architecture is very standardised

• Biggest buildings correlate with highest:

• Visibility

• Integration

• Centrality

• Architectural hierarchy correlates with human organisation patterns

• Neighbourhood formation hints at beginning urbanisation

• Lack of further organisation seems to lead to settlement decline