ANTH 2-4 Assignment-1

docx

School

University of Notre Dame *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

10109

Subject

Anthropology

Date

Oct 30, 2023

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by PresidentBatPerson917

Amelia Parr ANTH 1020 The history of Western European and Northern American Homes There are many differences between Europe and America that any historian (or alien) would be able to see. The two countries—both of which act as powerhouses for all things manufacturing—have some of the largest populated cities and states on Earth. One factor that differs between the American cities and the European ones is the type of material they use to build homes. Although both happen to use wood for the framing of their homes, it is how these pieces of wood are used and what type of wood being used that creates differences between the two. As to why these two similar yet different countries chose to build their homes in contrasting ways is unknown. However, one can assume this difference of methods originated from Europe and America’s differing values—while Europe is known to favor timber for its long-lasting life and ability to withstand extreme weather, America is known to prefer pine because of its simple use and the abundance of it that is found in North American regions. Timber—specifically the timber being used to build European homes—is not only strong enough to withstand any extreme weather circumstances Europe may experience, but also is used in large enough sizes in order to build homes more quickly and easily. In contrast, pine is a weaker wood used in smaller sizes, and when it comes to building a house out of pine, many small pieces of pine wood are placed together to create the frame of the house, while timber is used in large pieces. Although these houses may seem similar in infrastructure, the type of wood used, as well as how strong/weak that wood is and how much of said wood you are using is all dependent on where the house is being built. In Western European regions, large pieces of timber are used to better support the house’s structure—strong walls that are barricaded from the harsh winds of winter and the idea that using larger pieces of timber instead of many small pieces of pine saves more wood are some of the reasons why European houses were created differently when compared to North American housing. Northern American housing, which uses pine instead of timber in large amounts of small pieces, created their homes with a different method in mind. Instead of depending on thick pieces of wood in order to both create the structure of the house and keep out harsh weather, North American architects would use many small pieces of pine wood to create the frame of the house, which would then be later solidified by a much strong type of material. This material can vary depending on where the home is being built, who is buying it, and how large the home is as well. These differences in architecture were created because of the many contrasts between European and American culture/values. Ignoring these differences, however, there are still many reasons as to why European and American architecture pieces are so different from one another. Pine is found in abundance all over North American regions but is less common in Europe. America was colonized by Europe many years ago, meaning the European settlers who moved to the Americas brought their traditions with them—only tweaking certain elements in order to better survive on the land they just moved to. With North America’s ever-growing population, larger homes were needed in order to fit larger families, and the European homes built using timber were not as good at this as the American homes built using pine. All of these reasons, however, do not define why Europe would specifically use hardwood even though it was not as common of an occurrence as one might think. Timber held a certain value above all other types of wood because of its strength, meaning the houses created using timber were more costly, yet the architects of centuries ago

would argue the material was worth it because of its ability to keep the home’s structure strong and to keep harsh climates outside instead of inside.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version