A post in ground construction, also called earthfast or hole-set posts, is a type of construction in which vertical, roof-bearing timbers, called
posts, are in direct contact with the ground. They may be placed into excavated
posthole
This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains.
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s, driven into the ground, or on sills which are set on the ground without a foundation. Earthfast construction is common from the
Neolithic period
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wid ...
to the present and is used worldwide. Post-in-the-ground construction is sometimes called an "impermanent" form, used for houses which are expected to last a decade or two before a better quality structure can be built.
Post in ground construction can also include sill on grade,
wood-lined cellars, and
pit house
A pit-house (or pit house, pithouse) is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, this type of earth shelter may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a la ...
s. Most pre-historic and medieval wooden dwellings worldwide were built post in ground.
History
This type of construction is often believed to be an intermediate form between a
palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymo ...
construction and a stave construction. Because the
posthole
This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains.
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s are easily detected in archaeological surveys, they can be distinguished from the other two.
Post in ground was one of the timber construction methods used for French colonial structures in
New France
New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
; it was called ''poteaux-en-terre.''
The Japanese also used a type of earthfast construction until the eighteenth century, which they call Hottate-bashira (literally "embedded pillars").
[Gina Lee Barnes. ''Yamato: archaeology of the first Japanese state.'' googlebooks?id=S-sDAQAAIAAJ]
The
Dogon people
The Dogon are an ethnic group indigenous to the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, and in Burkina Faso. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000. They speak the Dogo ...
in Africa use post in ground construction for their
toguna
A toguna (or palaver hut), also written as ''togu'na'' or ''togu na'' (meaning "great shelter") is a public building erected by the Dogon people in the West African country of Mali.
Togunas are usually located in the center of the village.
Togu ...
, community gathering places typically located in the center of villages for official and informal meetings.
Poteaux-en-terre
In the historical region of
New France
New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
in North America, ''poteaux-en-terre'' was a historic style of earthfast
timber framing
Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy Beam (structure), timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and Woodworking joints, joined timbers with joints secure ...
. This method is similar to
poteaux-sur-sol, but the ''boulin'' (hewn posts) are planted in the ground rather than landing on a
sill plate
A sill plate or sole plate in construction and architecture is the bottom horizontal member of a wall or building to which vertical members are attached. The word "plate" is typically omitted in America and carpenters speak simply of the "sill". ...
. The spaces between the boulin are filled with ''
bousillage'' (reinforced mud) or ''
pierrotage'' (stones and mud). Surviving examples of both types of structures can be found at
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.
Gallery of poteaux-en-terre
File:Drawing of Poteaux-en-Terre in the Beauvais House in Ste Genevieve MO.png, Drawing of poteaux-en-terre in the Beauvais House in Ste Genevieve, Missouri
Image:Poteaux-en-Terre Cross-Section.jpg, A cross section of a poteaux-en-terre house.
Image:Poteaux-en-Terre Construction.jpg, A model of the Beauvais-Amoureux House, showing poteaux-en-terre construction.
Image:Poteaux-en-Terre-Cellar of the Bauvais-Amoureux House.jpg, Poteaux-en-Terre-Cellar of the Maison Beauvais-Amoureux.
File:First Courthouse, St. Louis, Missouri.jpg, First Courthouse, St. Louis, Missouri; from a c. 1915 postcard.
See also
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French colonization of the Americas
France began colonizing America in the 16th century and continued into the following centuries as it established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. France established colonies in much of eastern North America, on several Caribbean is ...
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Old Spanish Fort (Pascagoula, Mississippi). The La Pointe-Krebs House.
*
Pit-house
A pit-house (or pit house, pithouse) is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, this type of earth shelter may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a l ...
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Post church
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Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
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Stilt house
Stilt houses (also called pile dwellings or lake dwellings) are houses raised on Stilts (architecture), stilts (or piles) over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding; they als ...
References
External links
EARTHFAST ARCHITECTURE IN EARLY MAINE
{{Authority control
Building engineering
History of construction
New France
French-Canadian culture in the United States
French-American culture in Missouri
Missouri culture
French colonial architecture
Foundations (buildings and structures)
ja:掘立柱