Illustrations of history

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This magazine is for sharing artwork of historical events, places, personages, etc. Scale models and the like also welcome!

Generally speaking, actual photos of a historical item should go to [email protected]

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Photos of the past should go to [email protected]

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106

Çatalhöyük, among the first known cities (lemmynsfw.com)

submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

But why are the only doors the trapdoors on top?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

just a guess

No footpaths or streets were used between the dwellings, which were clustered in a honeycomb-like maze. Most were accessed by holes in the ceiling and doors on the side of the houses, with doors reached by ladders and stairs. The rooftops were effectively streets.

this would protect houses from any animal that can't climb a ladder or the wall itself (also if they pull the ladders up, from anyone who doesn't have a portable ladder)
if houses are constructed in clusters, that would mean one less wall to build (maybe 2)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

I read that it was for cooling. Doors and windows let a lot of the cool air escape.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 22 hours ago

Defensive reasons, probably. Ladders can be pulled up and enemies frustrated in that way, leaving no way to get in short of bashing down the house's walls (a much more tedious and slower process than kicking down a door).