W

Some form of screen or fence, which surrounds and divides the living space, is one of the most basic elements of human dwellings. These could be made of skins and cloth, reeds or wood. In sedentary communities, where permanent lodgings are the rule, such transient fences are substituted for solidly built walls, meant to last for at least a generation and more. The first solid walls mark the beginnings of architecture, which in the Ancient Near East can be traced to the 9th millennium BC (Palestine). Whether these early walls enclosed the actual living spaces as we would understand today, or whether they were primarily built to preserve and protect goods and agricultural produce, is not certain. The advantages of a permanent shelter must have been obvious, as the steady technological development of building walls over the ensuing millennia clearly shows. Furthermore, the whole settlement could be more effectively protected against the elements (floods, sand-storms, wind); wild animals or hostile human beings, by a strong wall.