The troglodyte habitat was, since Prehistory, a rudimentary or sumptuous architecture, present in different traditions, which consist of preparing underground or excavated habitats on the sides of mountains.
Troglodytic houses were generally drilled into sedimentary rocks (calcareous, sandstone, sandstone, tuff, loess, etc.) or volcanic rocks (ash, travertine, etc.) in all climates.
From the shelter under the rock,[1] to the castle or the underground city, this architecture has a temporary or permanent habitat function but traditionally takes on other domestic or agricultural uses and also, quite often, a religious function in multiple societies.[2].
Origins
Vocabulary
The word "troglodyte" comes from the Latin troglodyta, and in turn from the ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτης, from τρώγλη (cavern) and δύειν (penetrate, submerge). A troglodyte is a human being or an animal (including invertebrates) that lives in a cave or in a dwelling excavated in the rock at the base of cliffs or in natural grottoes; The troglodyte is the inhabitant of a permanent or seasonal house. The expressions: troglodyte habitat, troglodyte city, troglodyte house, etc., are commonly used to talk about life in the underground world.
Several terms, used in biology, qualify the modes of occupation of the troglodytic habitat:
• - troglobe: designates an exclusively troglodytic way of life, such as cave-dwelling animals.
• - troglodyte"): designates the non-exclusive attraction for the troglodytic habitat.
• - trogloxenous"): designates an occasional troglodytic occupation mainly for the purposes of temporary shelter; this is the case of bears and humans.
The Troglodytes
The ancient troglodyte people lived in Egypt, near the Red Sea, installed between the cliffs of the rocks. There are numerous ancient authors who allude to them, such as Herodotus, Claudius Ptolemy, Agatharchidae, Strabo, Diodorus of Sicily, Pliny, Tacitus, Flavius Josephus, etc.
Urban shelter network
Introduction
The troglodyte habitat was, since Prehistory, a rudimentary or sumptuous architecture, present in different traditions, which consist of preparing underground or excavated habitats on the sides of mountains.
Troglodytic houses were generally drilled into sedimentary rocks (calcareous, sandstone, sandstone, tuff, loess, etc.) or volcanic rocks (ash, travertine, etc.) in all climates.
From the shelter under the rock,[1] to the castle or the underground city, this architecture has a temporary or permanent habitat function but traditionally takes on other domestic or agricultural uses and also, quite often, a religious function in multiple societies.[2].
Origins
Vocabulary
The word "troglodyte" comes from the Latin troglodyta, and in turn from the ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτης, from τρώγλη (cavern) and δύειν (penetrate, submerge). A troglodyte is a human being or an animal (including invertebrates) that lives in a cave or in a dwelling excavated in the rock at the base of cliffs or in natural grottoes; The troglodyte is the inhabitant of a permanent or seasonal house. The expressions: troglodyte habitat, troglodyte city, troglodyte house, etc., are commonly used to talk about life in the underground world.
Several terms, used in biology, qualify the modes of occupation of the troglodytic habitat:
• - troglobe: designates an exclusively troglodytic way of life, such as cave-dwelling animals.
• - troglodyte"): designates the non-exclusive attraction for the troglodytic habitat.
• - trogloxenous"): designates an occasional troglodytic occupation mainly for the purposes of temporary shelter; this is the case of bears and humans.
The Troglodytes
Thus in his Natural History, Pliny the Elder gives a description of the troglodytes associating them with various more or less mythological peoples, the Garamantes, the Augilas), etc.
Later, in his classification of living beings, Carlos Linnaeus regroups as troglodytes: Homo nocturnus, Homo sylvestris, Orang-Outang and Kakurlacko. From now on, in Amoenitates academicae (1763), he defines a fairly broad taxon Homo anthropomorpha that designates a variety of mythological creatures close to man, such as the troglody, the satyr, the hydra, the phoenix. He adds that these creatures did not actually exist but that they were inaccurate descriptions of creatures that resembled great apes (Pan troglodytes, the chimpanzee has retained this scientific name).[3].
Regarding Montesquieu in the Persian Letters XI to
The Little Larousse in 1920, published a photograph with a note that presents the troglodytes as savages: thus, the authors report that Pliny the Elder, Ptolemy and Strabo had spoken about the Troglodytes: according to Strabo, they did not cultivate the land, they lived in the escarpments and holes of the rocks and fed on the product of their hunting. Women and girls lived together. They also ate snakes, according to Pliny the Elder, they had no fixed language and understood each other with mere guttural cries...
Ignoring mythology, the vision of the trogoditic way of life has been nuanced if we take into account that it is universal, in time and space, and takes on varied forms, adapted to climates, to the possibility of using natural cavities or excavating them, to social categories and thus are temporary or permanent. Even today, in many parts of the world, populations that have built their habitats in natural shelters, in deep caves or excavated in limestone walls or other rocks are always called troglodytes.
History and typology
Contenido
La forma de las estructuras utilizadas para la vida subterránea es bastante diversificada.
The first troglodytes
Natural caves or shelters under rock have been used since Prehistory in generally seasonal camps. The paleolithic parietal art attests to this presence of human activity in the caves and rock shelters.
In France, more than 170 sites, most in the South and Southwest (see for example the Lascaux Grotto and the Chauvet Grotto[4]) were developed over a period of approximately 26,000 years, from the Aurignacian (38,000 years ago) to the end of the Magdalenian (12,000 years ago).
The calcareous regions crossed by karst covers in France and Spain offer the highest density of cave art sites, followed by regions in Portugal, Italy, Romania and England.[5].
The true troglodyte habitat begins with the Neolithic. From episodic protection in a rock cavity, large or small, man moved to a more permanent habitat, excavated, conditioned in the rock in favor of a favorable climatic context. Buried habitats, not necessarily excavated in the rock, complete the possibilities of shelters with comparable ways of life (for example in the forest-poor Orkney), the half-buried and peat-covered houses (Ireland "Ireland (island"), L'Anse aux Meadows of Newfoundland, etc.) come close in comparison to the currently dominant habitat.
In addition to the habitat function, they had other functions: cultural, funerary, defensive and economic (storage). This form of architecture demands skill and is particularly adapted to poor environments in forests where there was a high density of troglodyte inhabitants in an arid environment or one lacking forests due to the cold climate or even the overexploitation of its ecosystem.
Built or excavated habitats (cities, shelters, etc.) are common structures for underground life made from mining techniques, sometimes very old. These habitats can be very deep and involve kilometers of galleries and dozens of steps.
The natural context
The great diversity of the forms of rock heritage attests to man's ability to adapt to his environment. The materials in which these types of habitats are established are quite varied, as is the topographic position, on the slope of the valley, on cliffs or steep areas, on a plateau, etc.
• - The Perrier plateau in the materials of the stratovolcano of the Dore Mountains, in the Allier valley (between 2 million years to 400,000 years), the town of the Rocks testifies to a troglodytic presence since at least the Celtic period, currently there are about 300 grottos and caves.[6].
• - The volcanic ashes of central Anatolia have been strongly eroded into badlands "Badlands (geography)"), the pyramid houses, the stables, the dovecotes, the chapels of Cappadocia were furnished by Christian friars and hermits.[7].
• - The loess of the Yellow River basin, in Northern China, is home to numerous troglodyte rooms (yaodong 窑洞 or cave houses) in the four provinces of the Loess Plateau.[8].
• - In Alsatian stoneware, the Graufthal Rock House").[9].
Karst forms, due to their nature, sensitive to dissolution by water, have always offered men of all times more or less deep cavities and have opened access to the underground (chthonic) world.
The natural climatic and geological conditions (lithology and structure) also constitute restrictions with respect to the perenniality and health of this habitat. These are infiltrations, capillary rises, runoff, gelifraction, decompression of the rock that make life there unhealthy and even dangerous.
traditional uses
From the nomadic, temporary habitat of the Paleolithic in places with natural shelters (grottoes and shelters under rocks), man became sedentary and moved on to a generally more perennial way of life and then built or excavated.
A study carried out in Chinon (Indre-et-Loire) has revealed the different phases of the transition from a troglodyte habitation to an independent habitation outside the rocks.
There were first natural caves that simply served as shelters for the first populations (example: the Santa-Radegonde hill in Chinon).
Later, certain caves were renovated by adding a perforated ashlar wall with two openings (the door and the window), sometimes even a chimney was installed: these are the "permanent caves." In the next stage, a house was attached to the rock, later erecting three walls (two rear walls and a façade): the "permanent cave" remained as an annex to the house. In the last stage, the house becomes completely independent of the rock and only the cave remains as a troglodyte.[10].
The quèbes or quèves (from the Béarnais quèba) of the Ossau valley in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques were in the hollows under the rocks converted into temporary shelters by the shepherds in the summer pastures. Sixty of these cavities have been inventoried by the ethnologist Jean-Pierre Dugène.[11] The quèbe could be closed by a dry stone protective wall, with possibly an evacuation hole for household smoke and a niche serving as a cupboard. In the absence of a façade, a navy blue canvas, held to the ground by nails, served to cover the entrance. Under the small rock, a stone served as a chair and some sheepskins spread on the ground served as a mattress. Some quèbes were mere surveillance posts during the day or shelter in case of storms in spring and autumn. Finally, certain cavities were used to cure the cheeses.[12].
• - The ring-shaped underground passages undoubtedly had an agricultural function in the Middle Ages in France[13].
• - Natural ice and compacted snow have been for centuries a means of preserving food preserved in natural cavities, fissures or grottoes and later in underground corridors. The caves increased storage capacities and duration until the arrival of artificial ice. Starting in the 20th century, this small heritage began to deteriorate.[14].
• - Grotto that serves as a storage space, Yport, Aval Cliff, Normandy.
• - Traditional grotto house and stable, Wang family (王家大院), Lingshi, Shanxi province, China.
• - Bozo woman in her underground room, Bozo village, 1972, Mopti, Mali.
• - Hundreds of caves in the lava tubes, sometimes very small, have constituted refuge cavities in Rapa Nui and were sometimes even occupied by gardens, sheltered from the winds.
• - The Underground City of Naours"), Somme, was first a quarry around the 10th century, then, during the invasions of the 16th century, the ( in Picard) were a refuge for the villagers and their livestock.
Contemporary troglodytes
These may be constructions that aim to protect against the harshness of the climate, such as the underground city of Coober Pedy in Australia built to avoid the torrid heat of the Outback, or the traditional Chinese grotto house, the yaodong.[22] One of the characteristics of this habitat is that it maintains a warm and relatively constant temperature.[23].
As in the past, the habitat can be completely underground or adding a traditional part; The habitat is then semitroglodytic, with a roof in the front.
The troglodyte heritage is part of the broader framework of the protection of architectural and landscape heritage. It is an often prestigious universal heritage and since 1995 eleven sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.[22] The troglodyte heritage tells a whole story of the terroir, from the underground shelter to the palace.
The modification of interest in heritage, and in particular in troglodyte heritage, occurs more than because of the attraction towards tourist places, but because of the picturesque interest in the vestiges of the past. Troglodyte tourism is developed in the form of museum activities, rural houses, hotels, etc. Heritage tourism does not seem to affect a large part of the local population (according to Edouard Segalen, only 8%). The Italian caves of Matera, places of isolation for hermits in the Middle Ages, became large social spaces in the 20th century and in the following century, the sassi became holiday centers, etc.
In the manner of the Australian Outback where opal extraction is a tourist attraction as well as the underground city of Coober Pedy where workers suffering from the heat took refuge, other places see their initial function transformed into a tourist destination.[24] </ref> Classifications in heritage lists contribute to this economic mutation. There is an increasing focus on this type of recreational and educational attractions.
In Tunisia, traditionally spa tourism is directed towards the important tourist potential of the Matmata chain in the Southeast (horizontal and vertical troglodyte habitat, ksour and Berber villages, associated with the variety of landscapes). As in other places, a multitude of actors and projects are part of a tourism development desired to be lasting (sustainable) and that ensures the development of local economies, the preservation of ecosystems and the safeguarding of the cultural identity and interests of local populations (above all allowing the safeguarding of habitats from abandonment).[25][26].
Cappadocia in the heart of the Anatolian Plateau is characterized by an architectural identity in a context of erosion of volcanic materials; It is known for its cave churches, its underground cities and its troglodyte dwellings and receives more than three million tourists every year (the Goreme National Park and cave sites has been registered as a world heritage site since 1985). Cultural heritage gives visibility, tourist attraction and development to the territories. Several factors have contributed to revaluing this Anatolian heritage, including the development of rural tourism. However, as in other regions of the world, the complexity of the issue is seen. Tourism favors the safeguarding of heritage and this is the largest source of tourism. When the environment is sensitive, the negative aspects are strongly felt and measures need to be taken regarding visitor quotas and accommodation.[27].
across the world
Algunos ejemplos de la geografía del trogloditismo:.
In Africa
• - The rock shelters of the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau) present thousands of Neolithic pictograms.[30][31].
• - The mountains of southern Tunisia are known for the ksour") of the Berbers, especially in Matmata and Tataouine.
• - In Mali, the Tellem and later the Dogon lived in troglodyte houses on the Bandiagara cliff.
• - Troglodyte Berber interior in Matmata, Tunisia.
• - Sididriss Hotel, troglodyte Berber habitat of Matmata, Tunisia.
• - The Balconies of Ghoufi in the Aurés, Algeria.
In the Middle East
• - Beersheba, Israel.
• - Between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, the Nabataean and troglodyte caravan city of Petra (Jordan), dating from the 8th century BC. C. and which had up to 25,000 inhabitants and was an important crossroads of the ancient world.[19].
• - Second after Pétra, Avdat, an old Nabataean caravan stop on the commercial route of essences and spices, in the heart of the Negev desert.[32].
• - In the Upper Azat Valley, the Geghard Monastery (Armenia) has churches and tombs – most of them troglodytes – representative of the heyday of Armenian medieval architecture. The monastery possibly founded in the 4th century according to tradition by Saint Gregory the Illuminator was destroyed by the Arabs in the 9th century[33] but flourished again in the 13th century.
• - Cappadocia (Türkiye) has countless troglodyte rooms and churches adorned with Byzantine frescoes. Göreme National Park is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.[19] Volcanic high point of Cappadocia (1300 m), Uçhisar was excavated in a labyrinth of shelters since Hittite times (1500 BC) and has not ceased to serve as a refuge ever since: for the first Christians persecuted by the Romans or for the Byzantines threatened by the Turks. The fortress preserves a set of chapels, monasteries, apartments, refectory, warehouses and common rooms connected in a network of galleries on twenty floors. Some rooms are still occupied.
• - The troglodyte rooms of Kandovan") (eastern Azerbaijan) have been excavated in the tuff, three thousand years ago for some and are still inhabited.
• - Troglodytic town of Kandovan, Iran.
• - Kandovan, Iran.
• - Troglodytic village of Üçhisar in Cappadocia, Türkiye.
• - Üçhisar, Cappadocia.
• - The valley of the pigeons, Cappadocia.
• - The valley of the pigeons, created in the iIgnimbrite.
In Asia
• - In Northwest China, in the province of Shaanxi near the provincial capital of Xi'an, there were inhabited caves between 3500 and 3000 BC. J.-C. Seventeen troglodyte houses on a cliff with pottery kilns and tools have been associated with the Neolithic Yangshao culture, considered the origin of Chinese civilization.[34].
• - The yaodong (窑洞) or "grotto house" is an arched construction, often troglodyte or semi-troglodyte, easily excavated in the loess and which served as a dwelling in China. Yaodongs are common on the Loess Plateau (黄土高原) in the middle basin of the Yellow River (黃河), North China, over about 640,000 km² (Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu and Henan). A yaodong has a single room that serves as a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Certain yaodongs have a façade built of stone with engraved motifs. A platform, kang, was built inside to be used as a bed and a chimney was built nearby.[35] These first underground rooms would date from the 2nd millennium BC. J.-C., that is, in the Xia dynasty. The most famous are surely those of Yan'año (延安) where the communists and Mao Zedong lived between 1935 and 1948. The current estimate is about 40 million people living in the yaodongs of northern China.[36].
• - The Bamya Valley in Afghanistan is home to Buddhist monastic cells.
• - Hampi, Karnataka state, India.
• - Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan, China.
• - Fengxian Temple: Grotto of the Great Buddha, Longmen Grottoes.
• - Buddha Shakyamuni, Longmen Grottoes.
• - Luoyang, Henan, China.
• - Yaodong, Shanxi, China.
• - Remains of troglodyte occupation in Guyaju, Yanqing district.
• - Mao Zedong in a troglodyte habitat in 1938.
In America
The American troglodytic habitat corresponds to the sedentary Amerindian peoples and modern society that develops an underground habitat in a general sense for functional rather than climatic reasons.
• - Mesa Verde: 4,400 classified sites were occupied between 450 and 1300 by the Anasazis (ancestors of the Pueblo Indians) who built troglodyte buildings under the cliffs of the canyon. The park has been classified as a World Heritage Site since 1978.[37].
• - Among the Canadian underground cities, the Montreal underground or inner city, officially called RÉSO since 2004, covers 20 km of tunnels.
• - Atlanta.
• - Ancient Cliff Troglodyte Village Luxury Hotel, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado.
• - Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico: Anasazi habitat.
• - The arch of Jenolan Cavas, New South Wales, is one of the numerous access routes.
• - Kiva of the Grande Gulch Archeological District, circular and semi-buried, used by the Pueblos.
In Oceania
The use of natural cavities, more or less conditioned, is traditional in the Polynesian world, either as habitat, or for pastoral or religious use.
• - The network of caves on Easter Island is very extensive. The caves better oriented against the wind served as shelters for the first occupants of the island and when the population was finally decimated. The entrance could be caulked with dry stone walls.
The Ana Kai Tangata grotto (ana meaning grotto) presents traces of the bird-man cult ("man-eating grotto": the grotto where men ate or, the grotto where men were eaten?). The inhabitants of Easter Island perfectly carved the volcanic materials of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The clans organized in towns around the ahu crowned by the moaï occupied troglodyte-type houses made with flat stones stacked and attached to the slope of the volcano, partly buried.
In a communication addressed to the Geography Society in 1878, A. Pinart relates: "we saw that the natives have the habit of looking for shelter when they come to these places. One of these caves contained a skeleton still wrapped in its mats and several skulls."[38].
• - In Rurutu "Rurutu (island)"), in the Austral Islands, many coastal caves and rock shelters, as in other places in Polynesia, were occupied by men and animals. The archaeological material attests to a human occupation there.[39].
In Australia, before the mining town of Coober Pedy was established in the central desert, the caves were used by indigenous peoples, then by bushrangers (outlaws) and finally allocated to tourism.
• - Abercrombie Cavas (Burragylong Caverns or Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, New South Wales) were undoubtedly occupied by several bands of bushrangers at the beginning of the 20th century during the colonization of Australian territory. The grottoes were officially discovered in 1842-43 as Koh-i-noor, Bushranger, Long Tunnel, Cathedral caves and the Hall of Terpsichore (The Dance Hall). When gold was found in the region in 1854, a community of miners settled nearby and visited the caves. Vandalism and graffiti have occurred there since the 19th century.
• - Jenolan Cavas (Fish Remachar Cavas) in the Blue mountains (New South Wales) was Binomil or Bin-oo-muro in the Dream Time of the Gundungurra who attributed healing virtues to the waters of these grottoes. They were undoubtedly occupied by bushrangers around 1840. In 1866, they constituted a heritage reserve under the aegis of the New Wales government; They receive about 250,000 visitors each year.
In Europe
• - Geulhem, Limbourg, Netherlands.
• - In the Netherlands, the municipality of Fauquemont sur Gueule has several troglodyte habitats in the former marble quarries, especially Geulhem").
• - Predjama Castle, Slovenia: the medieval fortress of the rebel Erasmus is partly troglodyte.
• - Crimea has a rich troglodyte complex valued from a tourist point of view: tombs, monasteries and churches, etc., protected by fortifications, these cities knew their heyday in the Middle Ages, and were the cultural center of Goths and Alans, of Karaïque Jews, of Chasars converted to Judaism since the 9th century, of Byzantine friars, etc.[40].
• - Predjama Castle Grotto, Chinese ink by Franz Kurz zum Thurn & Goldenstein, 1850.
• - Two caves in Cherkes-Kermen (Crimea) around 1910.
• - Eski-Kermen, Crimea.
• - Troglodyte monastery of Saint Clement in Inkerman, Crimea.
• - Troglodytic houses in Setenil de las Bodegas, Spain.
• - Troglodytic houses in Purullena, Spain.
• - Troglodytic town of Matera, Italy.
• - Andalusia (Spain) preserves troglodyte rooms.
• - In Italy, the city of Matera is famous for its troglodyte habitats (Sassi di Matera), on the UNESCO world heritage list.[19].
• - The volcanic island of Santorin (Greece) has an ancient troglodyte habitat.
In France, the troglodyte habitat is particularly well represented and in the Dordogne "Dordogne (department)") for example it has always been occupied since prehistory or more particularly during various times in Anjou, in Touraine and in Saumurois, in the rock valley (chalk) of the river Seine.
The sites can be old or very recent, simple or elaborate as in Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, one of the most beautiful villages in France in Charente or specific as in Provence Bollène (Vaucluse) or in the Baux-de-Provence.
• - Jonas Grottoes: chapel frescoes excavated in volcanic material, occupation of the Celts in the 12th century, Puy-de-Dôme.
• - Charcoal shelter, Hérault.
• - Belvès troglodyte rooms in Black Périgord.
• - Troglodyte stable in Louresse-Rochemenier.
• - Tuff caves in Chinon.
Legends and literature
• - The underground city of Jules Verne.
• - The hobbit holes of the County from J.R.R Tolkien's stories.
• - Film Underground "Underground (film)") by Emir Kusturica (adaptation of the play Proleće u januaru - Spring in January - by Dušan Kovačević).
• - Potin J., The new troglodytes, El Punto no, May 1991, 96-97.
• - Rewerski J., « Leisure and the underground world in Anjou », Norois no, 1983, p. 566-570.
• - Rewerski J., Gilbert Ch., The underground world of 1'Anjou, Ediciones Nuevas República, 1986.
• - Rewerski J., Study and protection of troglodyte websites and monuments. International Symposium of Geology and Applied Engineering under the protection of historical heritage, Athens, 1988.
• - Rewerski J. « Pétra, the website in its midst », Les Dossiers de archéologie, no, September 1991.
[10] ↑ Groupe d'élèves du Lycée Rabelais et Jean-Pierre Tramblais (1979). «Le tuffeau du Chinonais dessous dessus». en Maisons paysannes de France (en francés). 51, 14º año (1). p. 20.
[11] ↑ Jean-Pierre Dugène (2002). Ossau pastoral (en francés). Cairn et Parc National des Pyrénées. pp. 126 en particular p. 67-69 y fotos 57 a 61.
[12] ↑ Pierreseche com, ed. (15 de febrero de 2007). Les quèbes de l'Ossau (Pyrénées-atlantiques) (en francés).
[19] ↑ a b c d UNESCO (ed.). «Memphis et sa nécropole – les zones des pyramides de Guizeh à Dahchour» (en francés). Egipto.: http://whc.unesco.org/fr/list/86
[23] ↑ «Le patrimoine troglodytique, de l'habitat spontané à l'habitat aménagé». Collection les cahiers de Commarque (en francés) (Centre Permanent d'Initiation à l'Environnement de Sireuil): 224. 1990. ISBN 978-2-907081-02-3.
[25] ↑ Hammami Zayed. «Tourisme, Patrimoine et Développement dans la chaîne des Matmatas : Sud Est tunisien». Tesis de la Universidad de Sfax (en francés). Falta la |url= (ayuda).
[27] ↑ Binan Can, Celebioglu Banu (2011). «Une histoire de développement avec le patrimoine : la région de Cappadoce, aspects positifs et négatifs». En ICOMOS 17th General Assembly, 27 de noviembre al 2 de diciembre de 2011 (en francés) (París, Francia).: http://openarchive.icomos.org/1329/
[39] ↑ Kellum M., Garanger J. (1964). «Les pièces archéologiques découvertes à Rurutu (Îles Australes, Polynésie française)». Journal de la Société des océanistes 20: 32-38.
[40] ↑ Karaïtes, Caraïtes ou Qaraïtes, communauté qui se considère comme juiveEl término (en hebreo hilos de las Escrituras) aparece en el siglo IX.
The ancient troglodyte people lived in Egypt, near the Red Sea, installed between the cliffs of the rocks. There are numerous ancient authors who allude to them, such as Herodotus, Claudius Ptolemy, Agatharchidae, Strabo, Diodorus of Sicily, Pliny, Tacitus, Flavius Josephus, etc.
Thus in his Natural History, Pliny the Elder gives a description of the troglodytes associating them with various more or less mythological peoples, the Garamantes, the Augilas), etc.
Later, in his classification of living beings, Carlos Linnaeus regroups as troglodytes: Homo nocturnus, Homo sylvestris, Orang-Outang and Kakurlacko. From now on, in Amoenitates academicae (1763), he defines a fairly broad taxon Homo anthropomorpha that designates a variety of mythological creatures close to man, such as the troglody, the satyr, the hydra, the phoenix. He adds that these creatures did not actually exist but that they were inaccurate descriptions of creatures that resembled great apes (Pan troglodytes, the chimpanzee has retained this scientific name).[3].
Regarding Montesquieu in the Persian Letters XI to
The Little Larousse in 1920, published a photograph with a note that presents the troglodytes as savages: thus, the authors report that Pliny the Elder, Ptolemy and Strabo had spoken about the Troglodytes: according to Strabo, they did not cultivate the land, they lived in the escarpments and holes of the rocks and fed on the product of their hunting. Women and girls lived together. They also ate snakes, according to Pliny the Elder, they had no fixed language and understood each other with mere guttural cries...
Ignoring mythology, the vision of the trogoditic way of life has been nuanced if we take into account that it is universal, in time and space, and takes on varied forms, adapted to climates, to the possibility of using natural cavities or excavating them, to social categories and thus are temporary or permanent. Even today, in many parts of the world, populations that have built their habitats in natural shelters, in deep caves or excavated in limestone walls or other rocks are always called troglodytes.
History and typology
Contenido
La forma de las estructuras utilizadas para la vida subterránea es bastante diversificada.
The first troglodytes
Natural caves or shelters under rock have been used since Prehistory in generally seasonal camps. The paleolithic parietal art attests to this presence of human activity in the caves and rock shelters.
In France, more than 170 sites, most in the South and Southwest (see for example the Lascaux Grotto and the Chauvet Grotto[4]) were developed over a period of approximately 26,000 years, from the Aurignacian (38,000 years ago) to the end of the Magdalenian (12,000 years ago).
The calcareous regions crossed by karst covers in France and Spain offer the highest density of cave art sites, followed by regions in Portugal, Italy, Romania and England.[5].
The true troglodyte habitat begins with the Neolithic. From episodic protection in a rock cavity, large or small, man moved to a more permanent habitat, excavated, conditioned in the rock in favor of a favorable climatic context. Buried habitats, not necessarily excavated in the rock, complete the possibilities of shelters with comparable ways of life (for example in the forest-poor Orkney), the half-buried and peat-covered houses (Ireland "Ireland (island"), L'Anse aux Meadows of Newfoundland, etc.) come close in comparison to the currently dominant habitat.
In addition to the habitat function, they had other functions: cultural, funerary, defensive and economic (storage). This form of architecture demands skill and is particularly adapted to poor environments in forests where there was a high density of troglodyte inhabitants in an arid environment or one lacking forests due to the cold climate or even the overexploitation of its ecosystem.
Built or excavated habitats (cities, shelters, etc.) are common structures for underground life made from mining techniques, sometimes very old. These habitats can be very deep and involve kilometers of galleries and dozens of steps.
The natural context
The great diversity of the forms of rock heritage attests to man's ability to adapt to his environment. The materials in which these types of habitats are established are quite varied, as is the topographic position, on the slope of the valley, on cliffs or steep areas, on a plateau, etc.
• - The Perrier plateau in the materials of the stratovolcano of the Dore Mountains, in the Allier valley (between 2 million years to 400,000 years), the town of the Rocks testifies to a troglodytic presence since at least the Celtic period, currently there are about 300 grottos and caves.[6].
• - The volcanic ashes of central Anatolia have been strongly eroded into badlands "Badlands (geography)"), the pyramid houses, the stables, the dovecotes, the chapels of Cappadocia were furnished by Christian friars and hermits.[7].
• - The loess of the Yellow River basin, in Northern China, is home to numerous troglodyte rooms (yaodong 窑洞 or cave houses) in the four provinces of the Loess Plateau.[8].
• - In Alsatian stoneware, the Graufthal Rock House").[9].
Karst forms, due to their nature, sensitive to dissolution by water, have always offered men of all times more or less deep cavities and have opened access to the underground (chthonic) world.
The natural climatic and geological conditions (lithology and structure) also constitute restrictions with respect to the perenniality and health of this habitat. These are infiltrations, capillary rises, runoff, gelifraction, decompression of the rock that make life there unhealthy and even dangerous.
traditional uses
From the nomadic, temporary habitat of the Paleolithic in places with natural shelters (grottoes and shelters under rocks), man became sedentary and moved on to a generally more perennial way of life and then built or excavated.
A study carried out in Chinon (Indre-et-Loire) has revealed the different phases of the transition from a troglodyte habitation to an independent habitation outside the rocks.
There were first natural caves that simply served as shelters for the first populations (example: the Santa-Radegonde hill in Chinon).
Later, certain caves were renovated by adding a perforated ashlar wall with two openings (the door and the window), sometimes even a chimney was installed: these are the "permanent caves." In the next stage, a house was attached to the rock, later erecting three walls (two rear walls and a façade): the "permanent cave" remained as an annex to the house. In the last stage, the house becomes completely independent of the rock and only the cave remains as a troglodyte.[10].
The quèbes or quèves (from the Béarnais quèba) of the Ossau valley in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques were in the hollows under the rocks converted into temporary shelters by the shepherds in the summer pastures. Sixty of these cavities have been inventoried by the ethnologist Jean-Pierre Dugène.[11] The quèbe could be closed by a dry stone protective wall, with possibly an evacuation hole for household smoke and a niche serving as a cupboard. In the absence of a façade, a navy blue canvas, held to the ground by nails, served to cover the entrance. Under the small rock, a stone served as a chair and some sheepskins spread on the ground served as a mattress. Some quèbes were mere surveillance posts during the day or shelter in case of storms in spring and autumn. Finally, certain cavities were used to cure the cheeses.[12].
• - The ring-shaped underground passages undoubtedly had an agricultural function in the Middle Ages in France[13].
• - Natural ice and compacted snow have been for centuries a means of preserving food preserved in natural cavities, fissures or grottoes and later in underground corridors. The caves increased storage capacities and duration until the arrival of artificial ice. Starting in the 20th century, this small heritage began to deteriorate.[14].
• - Grotto that serves as a storage space, Yport, Aval Cliff, Normandy.
• - Traditional grotto house and stable, Wang family (王家大院), Lingshi, Shanxi province, China.
• - Bozo woman in her underground room, Bozo village, 1972, Mopti, Mali.
• - Hundreds of caves in the lava tubes, sometimes very small, have constituted refuge cavities in Rapa Nui and were sometimes even occupied by gardens, sheltered from the winds.
• - The Underground City of Naours"), Somme, was first a quarry around the 10th century, then, during the invasions of the 16th century, the ( in Picard) were a refuge for the villagers and their livestock.
Contemporary troglodytes
These may be constructions that aim to protect against the harshness of the climate, such as the underground city of Coober Pedy in Australia built to avoid the torrid heat of the Outback, or the traditional Chinese grotto house, the yaodong.[22] One of the characteristics of this habitat is that it maintains a warm and relatively constant temperature.[23].
As in the past, the habitat can be completely underground or adding a traditional part; The habitat is then semitroglodytic, with a roof in the front.
The troglodyte heritage is part of the broader framework of the protection of architectural and landscape heritage. It is an often prestigious universal heritage and since 1995 eleven sites have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.[22] The troglodyte heritage tells a whole story of the terroir, from the underground shelter to the palace.
The modification of interest in heritage, and in particular in troglodyte heritage, occurs more than because of the attraction towards tourist places, but because of the picturesque interest in the vestiges of the past. Troglodyte tourism is developed in the form of museum activities, rural houses, hotels, etc. Heritage tourism does not seem to affect a large part of the local population (according to Edouard Segalen, only 8%). The Italian caves of Matera, places of isolation for hermits in the Middle Ages, became large social spaces in the 20th century and in the following century, the sassi became holiday centers, etc.
In the manner of the Australian Outback where opal extraction is a tourist attraction as well as the underground city of Coober Pedy where workers suffering from the heat took refuge, other places see their initial function transformed into a tourist destination.[24] </ref> Classifications in heritage lists contribute to this economic mutation. There is an increasing focus on this type of recreational and educational attractions.
In Tunisia, traditionally spa tourism is directed towards the important tourist potential of the Matmata chain in the Southeast (horizontal and vertical troglodyte habitat, ksour and Berber villages, associated with the variety of landscapes). As in other places, a multitude of actors and projects are part of a tourism development desired to be lasting (sustainable) and that ensures the development of local economies, the preservation of ecosystems and the safeguarding of the cultural identity and interests of local populations (above all allowing the safeguarding of habitats from abandonment).[25][26].
Cappadocia in the heart of the Anatolian Plateau is characterized by an architectural identity in a context of erosion of volcanic materials; It is known for its cave churches, its underground cities and its troglodyte dwellings and receives more than three million tourists every year (the Goreme National Park and cave sites has been registered as a world heritage site since 1985). Cultural heritage gives visibility, tourist attraction and development to the territories. Several factors have contributed to revaluing this Anatolian heritage, including the development of rural tourism. However, as in other regions of the world, the complexity of the issue is seen. Tourism favors the safeguarding of heritage and this is the largest source of tourism. When the environment is sensitive, the negative aspects are strongly felt and measures need to be taken regarding visitor quotas and accommodation.[27].
across the world
Algunos ejemplos de la geografía del trogloditismo:.
In Africa
• - The rock shelters of the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau) present thousands of Neolithic pictograms.[30][31].
• - The mountains of southern Tunisia are known for the ksour") of the Berbers, especially in Matmata and Tataouine.
• - In Mali, the Tellem and later the Dogon lived in troglodyte houses on the Bandiagara cliff.
• - Troglodyte Berber interior in Matmata, Tunisia.
• - Sididriss Hotel, troglodyte Berber habitat of Matmata, Tunisia.
• - The Balconies of Ghoufi in the Aurés, Algeria.
In the Middle East
• - Beersheba, Israel.
• - Between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea, the Nabataean and troglodyte caravan city of Petra (Jordan), dating from the 8th century BC. C. and which had up to 25,000 inhabitants and was an important crossroads of the ancient world.[19].
• - Second after Pétra, Avdat, an old Nabataean caravan stop on the commercial route of essences and spices, in the heart of the Negev desert.[32].
• - In the Upper Azat Valley, the Geghard Monastery (Armenia) has churches and tombs – most of them troglodytes – representative of the heyday of Armenian medieval architecture. The monastery possibly founded in the 4th century according to tradition by Saint Gregory the Illuminator was destroyed by the Arabs in the 9th century[33] but flourished again in the 13th century.
• - Cappadocia (Türkiye) has countless troglodyte rooms and churches adorned with Byzantine frescoes. Göreme National Park is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.[19] Volcanic high point of Cappadocia (1300 m), Uçhisar was excavated in a labyrinth of shelters since Hittite times (1500 BC) and has not ceased to serve as a refuge ever since: for the first Christians persecuted by the Romans or for the Byzantines threatened by the Turks. The fortress preserves a set of chapels, monasteries, apartments, refectory, warehouses and common rooms connected in a network of galleries on twenty floors. Some rooms are still occupied.
• - The troglodyte rooms of Kandovan") (eastern Azerbaijan) have been excavated in the tuff, three thousand years ago for some and are still inhabited.
• - Troglodytic town of Kandovan, Iran.
• - Kandovan, Iran.
• - Troglodytic village of Üçhisar in Cappadocia, Türkiye.
• - Üçhisar, Cappadocia.
• - The valley of the pigeons, Cappadocia.
• - The valley of the pigeons, created in the iIgnimbrite.
In Asia
• - In Northwest China, in the province of Shaanxi near the provincial capital of Xi'an, there were inhabited caves between 3500 and 3000 BC. J.-C. Seventeen troglodyte houses on a cliff with pottery kilns and tools have been associated with the Neolithic Yangshao culture, considered the origin of Chinese civilization.[34].
• - The yaodong (窑洞) or "grotto house" is an arched construction, often troglodyte or semi-troglodyte, easily excavated in the loess and which served as a dwelling in China. Yaodongs are common on the Loess Plateau (黄土高原) in the middle basin of the Yellow River (黃河), North China, over about 640,000 km² (Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu and Henan). A yaodong has a single room that serves as a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Certain yaodongs have a façade built of stone with engraved motifs. A platform, kang, was built inside to be used as a bed and a chimney was built nearby.[35] These first underground rooms would date from the 2nd millennium BC. J.-C., that is, in the Xia dynasty. The most famous are surely those of Yan'año (延安) where the communists and Mao Zedong lived between 1935 and 1948. The current estimate is about 40 million people living in the yaodongs of northern China.[36].
• - The Bamya Valley in Afghanistan is home to Buddhist monastic cells.
• - Hampi, Karnataka state, India.
• - Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan, China.
• - Fengxian Temple: Grotto of the Great Buddha, Longmen Grottoes.
• - Buddha Shakyamuni, Longmen Grottoes.
• - Luoyang, Henan, China.
• - Yaodong, Shanxi, China.
• - Remains of troglodyte occupation in Guyaju, Yanqing district.
• - Mao Zedong in a troglodyte habitat in 1938.
In America
The American troglodytic habitat corresponds to the sedentary Amerindian peoples and modern society that develops an underground habitat in a general sense for functional rather than climatic reasons.
• - Mesa Verde: 4,400 classified sites were occupied between 450 and 1300 by the Anasazis (ancestors of the Pueblo Indians) who built troglodyte buildings under the cliffs of the canyon. The park has been classified as a World Heritage Site since 1978.[37].
• - Among the Canadian underground cities, the Montreal underground or inner city, officially called RÉSO since 2004, covers 20 km of tunnels.
• - Atlanta.
• - Ancient Cliff Troglodyte Village Luxury Hotel, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado.
• - Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico: Anasazi habitat.
• - The arch of Jenolan Cavas, New South Wales, is one of the numerous access routes.
• - Kiva of the Grande Gulch Archeological District, circular and semi-buried, used by the Pueblos.
In Oceania
The use of natural cavities, more or less conditioned, is traditional in the Polynesian world, either as habitat, or for pastoral or religious use.
• - The network of caves on Easter Island is very extensive. The caves better oriented against the wind served as shelters for the first occupants of the island and when the population was finally decimated. The entrance could be caulked with dry stone walls.
The Ana Kai Tangata grotto (ana meaning grotto) presents traces of the bird-man cult ("man-eating grotto": the grotto where men ate or, the grotto where men were eaten?). The inhabitants of Easter Island perfectly carved the volcanic materials of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The clans organized in towns around the ahu crowned by the moaï occupied troglodyte-type houses made with flat stones stacked and attached to the slope of the volcano, partly buried.
In a communication addressed to the Geography Society in 1878, A. Pinart relates: "we saw that the natives have the habit of looking for shelter when they come to these places. One of these caves contained a skeleton still wrapped in its mats and several skulls."[38].
• - In Rurutu "Rurutu (island)"), in the Austral Islands, many coastal caves and rock shelters, as in other places in Polynesia, were occupied by men and animals. The archaeological material attests to a human occupation there.[39].
In Australia, before the mining town of Coober Pedy was established in the central desert, the caves were used by indigenous peoples, then by bushrangers (outlaws) and finally allocated to tourism.
• - Abercrombie Cavas (Burragylong Caverns or Abercrombie Karst Conservation Reserve, New South Wales) were undoubtedly occupied by several bands of bushrangers at the beginning of the 20th century during the colonization of Australian territory. The grottoes were officially discovered in 1842-43 as Koh-i-noor, Bushranger, Long Tunnel, Cathedral caves and the Hall of Terpsichore (The Dance Hall). When gold was found in the region in 1854, a community of miners settled nearby and visited the caves. Vandalism and graffiti have occurred there since the 19th century.
• - Jenolan Cavas (Fish Remachar Cavas) in the Blue mountains (New South Wales) was Binomil or Bin-oo-muro in the Dream Time of the Gundungurra who attributed healing virtues to the waters of these grottoes. They were undoubtedly occupied by bushrangers around 1840. In 1866, they constituted a heritage reserve under the aegis of the New Wales government; They receive about 250,000 visitors each year.
In Europe
• - Geulhem, Limbourg, Netherlands.
• - In the Netherlands, the municipality of Fauquemont sur Gueule has several troglodyte habitats in the former marble quarries, especially Geulhem").
• - Predjama Castle, Slovenia: the medieval fortress of the rebel Erasmus is partly troglodyte.
• - Crimea has a rich troglodyte complex valued from a tourist point of view: tombs, monasteries and churches, etc., protected by fortifications, these cities knew their heyday in the Middle Ages, and were the cultural center of Goths and Alans, of Karaïque Jews, of Chasars converted to Judaism since the 9th century, of Byzantine friars, etc.[40].
• - Predjama Castle Grotto, Chinese ink by Franz Kurz zum Thurn & Goldenstein, 1850.
• - Two caves in Cherkes-Kermen (Crimea) around 1910.
• - Eski-Kermen, Crimea.
• - Troglodyte monastery of Saint Clement in Inkerman, Crimea.
• - Troglodytic houses in Setenil de las Bodegas, Spain.
• - Troglodytic houses in Purullena, Spain.
• - Troglodytic town of Matera, Italy.
• - Andalusia (Spain) preserves troglodyte rooms.
• - In Italy, the city of Matera is famous for its troglodyte habitats (Sassi di Matera), on the UNESCO world heritage list.[19].
• - The volcanic island of Santorin (Greece) has an ancient troglodyte habitat.
In France, the troglodyte habitat is particularly well represented and in the Dordogne "Dordogne (department)") for example it has always been occupied since prehistory or more particularly during various times in Anjou, in Touraine and in Saumurois, in the rock valley (chalk) of the river Seine.
The sites can be old or very recent, simple or elaborate as in Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, one of the most beautiful villages in France in Charente or specific as in Provence Bollène (Vaucluse) or in the Baux-de-Provence.
• - Jonas Grottoes: chapel frescoes excavated in volcanic material, occupation of the Celts in the 12th century, Puy-de-Dôme.
• - Charcoal shelter, Hérault.
• - Belvès troglodyte rooms in Black Périgord.
• - Troglodyte stable in Louresse-Rochemenier.
• - Tuff caves in Chinon.
Legends and literature
• - The underground city of Jules Verne.
• - The hobbit holes of the County from J.R.R Tolkien's stories.
• - Film Underground "Underground (film)") by Emir Kusturica (adaptation of the play Proleće u januaru - Spring in January - by Dušan Kovačević).
• - Potin J., The new troglodytes, El Punto no, May 1991, 96-97.
• - Rewerski J., « Leisure and the underground world in Anjou », Norois no, 1983, p. 566-570.
• - Rewerski J., Gilbert Ch., The underground world of 1'Anjou, Ediciones Nuevas República, 1986.
• - Rewerski J., Study and protection of troglodyte websites and monuments. International Symposium of Geology and Applied Engineering under the protection of historical heritage, Athens, 1988.
• - Rewerski J. « Pétra, the website in its midst », Les Dossiers de archéologie, no, September 1991.
[10] ↑ Groupe d'élèves du Lycée Rabelais et Jean-Pierre Tramblais (1979). «Le tuffeau du Chinonais dessous dessus». en Maisons paysannes de France (en francés). 51, 14º año (1). p. 20.
[11] ↑ Jean-Pierre Dugène (2002). Ossau pastoral (en francés). Cairn et Parc National des Pyrénées. pp. 126 en particular p. 67-69 y fotos 57 a 61.
[12] ↑ Pierreseche com, ed. (15 de febrero de 2007). Les quèbes de l'Ossau (Pyrénées-atlantiques) (en francés).
[19] ↑ a b c d UNESCO (ed.). «Memphis et sa nécropole – les zones des pyramides de Guizeh à Dahchour» (en francés). Egipto.: http://whc.unesco.org/fr/list/86
[23] ↑ «Le patrimoine troglodytique, de l'habitat spontané à l'habitat aménagé». Collection les cahiers de Commarque (en francés) (Centre Permanent d'Initiation à l'Environnement de Sireuil): 224. 1990. ISBN 978-2-907081-02-3.
[25] ↑ Hammami Zayed. «Tourisme, Patrimoine et Développement dans la chaîne des Matmatas : Sud Est tunisien». Tesis de la Universidad de Sfax (en francés). Falta la |url= (ayuda).
[27] ↑ Binan Can, Celebioglu Banu (2011). «Une histoire de développement avec le patrimoine : la région de Cappadoce, aspects positifs et négatifs». En ICOMOS 17th General Assembly, 27 de noviembre al 2 de diciembre de 2011 (en francés) (París, Francia).: http://openarchive.icomos.org/1329/
[39] ↑ Kellum M., Garanger J. (1964). «Les pièces archéologiques découvertes à Rurutu (Îles Australes, Polynésie française)». Journal de la Société des océanistes 20: 32-38.
[40] ↑ Karaïtes, Caraïtes ou Qaraïtes, communauté qui se considère comme juiveEl término (en hebreo hilos de las Escrituras) aparece en el siglo IX.
many
hiding places
• - With the conquest of Crimea by the Russians, the refugee population of the troglodyte cities settled in the cities and on the coastal cliffs. The fortresses without further use were little by little abandoned. The impressive vestiges of churches and fortifications remain for today's tourism.
• - The Turonian tuff was extracted from the subsoil of Arras since the 10th century and the underground ones had several functions (caves, silos...). The network of galleries extends under the entire city and further afield. It served as shelter during both world wars and in particular in preparation for the British attack in April 1917 during the Battle of Arras offensive. "Battle of Arras (1917)") 500 New Zealand soldiers were in charge of connecting the different roads of the city and some 24,000 British soldiers were the ones who came out of the underground (boves or catiches) to surprise the German Army.
• - The underground city of Beijing (地下城, Dìxià Chéng") is an underground shelter connected by a network of tunnels (the Great Underground Wall). Excavated when popular China feared a Soviet nuclear attack, the city is today a tourist attraction.
• - In 1961, the American executive distributed in five million copies, a booklet entitled The family fallout shelter. The threat of nuclear conflict in the 1960s led to the development of fallout shelters (Cf. Jay Swayze and his company Geobuilding Systems conceived a model of a «tex-mex hotel» bunker). The underground shelter avoided exposure to natural elements and allowed protection from atomic radiation. The underground culture became a counterculture and in this ecological context it brandished the threat of the growing scarcity of resources so that the advantages of underground housing could be taken advantage of.[15][16].
• - The current construction of underground refuge cities in the US attests to the perenniality of fears of destruction throughout human history.[17].
• - The Treasury of Atreus or tomb of Agamemnon, in Mycenae, is a buried domed tomb dating from 1250 BC. J.-C.
• - Ajanta (central India) was a retreat for Buddhists between the 2nd century BC. BC and the 5th century: twenty-nine cave temples adorned with frescoes were excavated in the wall of the Waghora gorges.[7].
• - The Etruscan necropolis of San Rocco, Tuscany.
• - The Romans worshiped Mithras "Mithras (Roman god)") in exclusively underground crypts and temples. The mithraeum (temples of Mithras) were located under the double symbol of light and darkness.[7].
• - Sri Lanka.
• - The temples of Angkor Vat, Cambodia.
• - In the kingdom of Mustang, twenty-nine troglodyte cities were discovered and explored by Michel Peissel in 1964. A recent landslide (1994) has brought to light bones and vessels that Nepalese archaeological services dated to more than 3,000 years ago. The American Himalayan Foundation (2007-08) has discovered pre-Buddhist manuscripts in the funerary rooms and paintings dating to the 13th century, prior to the founding of the kingdom of Lo.[18].
• - The Egyptian mastabas: generally family tombs dug into the slopes of hills and worked with masonry, from the first pharaonic dynasties;[19].
• - the troglodytic Toraja tombs of Celebes. A room was excavated in the rock wall and sealed with a wooden, painted or sculpted door. The funerary room was for the family and was called house from which no smoke rises. An effigy, tau-tau, was placed near the room and was accessed by a bamboo ladder.[20].
• - Malagasy graves in sheltered position under rock: in the manner of Indonesian graves. The ancient Malagasy traditions arranged the graves in cavities in the rock walls that were difficult to access.
• - Eleven monolithic medieval churches carved into the rock by King Lalibela, Ethiopia; classified as World Heritage of Humanity in 1978.[21].
• - The numerous Christian catacombs: like those in Rome. Paris has a network of catacombs, many connected to each other, spanning several hundred kilometers.
• - The underground sites of the First World War such as the Camino de las Damas.
• - Small rock church dedicated to the Virgin, Cantabria.
• - Sihla Monastery, Romania.
• - Baptistery of Marmoutier Abbey with immersion tank and well, 1911.
• - Altar to Buddha, Laos.
• - Lycian tombs, Türkiye.
• - Thracian Falls, Benkovski, Kirkovo, Bulgaria.
• - Troglodyte tombs of the Priory of Carluc, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France.
Current underground urban spaces continue to serve shelter and refuge functions: parking lots, shopping centers or cinemas, or even anti-aircraft and anti-atomic shelters. New functions appear for these spaces: evacuation of space-consuming activities such as transportation, dangerous or undesirable flows such as used water, waste, electricity, gas, etc. This contemporary underground world constitutes a set of spaces built or abandoned under the surface of current cities - underground.[28] A concept invented by the French, later partly abandoned, the underground city has been experienced in Tokyo, Montreal, Helsinki[29] and Kansas City, etc. Amsterdam prepares an underground city for 2018.
The uses have diversified according to the times: underground farms, cellars, pigeon lofts, meeting places, shopping centers, cities, storage (Cf. the Spitzberg seed bank), etc. In the context of sustainable development and ecological concerns, the troglodyte shelter seduces due to its solid, watertight, isolated, extensible, and relatively inexpensive character (depending on the mining and conservation techniques used).
• - The American Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at the South Pole was created in 1956 within the framework of the International Geophysical Year of 1957. The first constructions carried out in 1956-1957 by the US Navy were underground.
• - The Winter Garden by Jean Dubuffet, 1968.
• - Underground shopping centers: large American cities (Montreal,) or Paris, with the Forum des Palcos, connected to the metro and the RER.
• - The conception of a future base on Mars involves buried projects (see Manned Mission to Mars).
Not being defined as habitat, the rehabilitation of troglodyte spaces is framed in municipal laws and in the civil code that governs land law, the construction code and the property code.
Current technologies allow for new underground installations in which natural light can be directed to the places where it is needed through light tubes. Walls equipped with large flat screens will be able to broadcast natural landscapes.
many
hiding places
• - With the conquest of Crimea by the Russians, the refugee population of the troglodyte cities settled in the cities and on the coastal cliffs. The fortresses without further use were little by little abandoned. The impressive vestiges of churches and fortifications remain for today's tourism.
• - The Turonian tuff was extracted from the subsoil of Arras since the 10th century and the underground ones had several functions (caves, silos...). The network of galleries extends under the entire city and further afield. It served as shelter during both world wars and in particular in preparation for the British attack in April 1917 during the Battle of Arras offensive. "Battle of Arras (1917)") 500 New Zealand soldiers were in charge of connecting the different roads of the city and some 24,000 British soldiers were the ones who came out of the underground (boves or catiches) to surprise the German Army.
• - The underground city of Beijing (地下城, Dìxià Chéng") is an underground shelter connected by a network of tunnels (the Great Underground Wall). Excavated when popular China feared a Soviet nuclear attack, the city is today a tourist attraction.
• - In 1961, the American executive distributed in five million copies, a booklet entitled The family fallout shelter. The threat of nuclear conflict in the 1960s led to the development of fallout shelters (Cf. Jay Swayze and his company Geobuilding Systems conceived a model of a «tex-mex hotel» bunker). The underground shelter avoided exposure to natural elements and allowed protection from atomic radiation. The underground culture became a counterculture and in this ecological context it brandished the threat of the growing scarcity of resources so that the advantages of underground housing could be taken advantage of.[15][16].
• - The current construction of underground refuge cities in the US attests to the perenniality of fears of destruction throughout human history.[17].
• - The Treasury of Atreus or tomb of Agamemnon, in Mycenae, is a buried domed tomb dating from 1250 BC. J.-C.
• - Ajanta (central India) was a retreat for Buddhists between the 2nd century BC. BC and the 5th century: twenty-nine cave temples adorned with frescoes were excavated in the wall of the Waghora gorges.[7].
• - The Etruscan necropolis of San Rocco, Tuscany.
• - The Romans worshiped Mithras "Mithras (Roman god)") in exclusively underground crypts and temples. The mithraeum (temples of Mithras) were located under the double symbol of light and darkness.[7].
• - Sri Lanka.
• - The temples of Angkor Vat, Cambodia.
• - In the kingdom of Mustang, twenty-nine troglodyte cities were discovered and explored by Michel Peissel in 1964. A recent landslide (1994) has brought to light bones and vessels that Nepalese archaeological services dated to more than 3,000 years ago. The American Himalayan Foundation (2007-08) has discovered pre-Buddhist manuscripts in the funerary rooms and paintings dating to the 13th century, prior to the founding of the kingdom of Lo.[18].
• - The Egyptian mastabas: generally family tombs dug into the slopes of hills and worked with masonry, from the first pharaonic dynasties;[19].
• - the troglodytic Toraja tombs of Celebes. A room was excavated in the rock wall and sealed with a wooden, painted or sculpted door. The funerary room was for the family and was called house from which no smoke rises. An effigy, tau-tau, was placed near the room and was accessed by a bamboo ladder.[20].
• - Malagasy graves in sheltered position under rock: in the manner of Indonesian graves. The ancient Malagasy traditions arranged the graves in cavities in the rock walls that were difficult to access.
• - Eleven monolithic medieval churches carved into the rock by King Lalibela, Ethiopia; classified as World Heritage of Humanity in 1978.[21].
• - The numerous Christian catacombs: like those in Rome. Paris has a network of catacombs, many connected to each other, spanning several hundred kilometers.
• - The underground sites of the First World War such as the Camino de las Damas.
• - Small rock church dedicated to the Virgin, Cantabria.
• - Sihla Monastery, Romania.
• - Baptistery of Marmoutier Abbey with immersion tank and well, 1911.
• - Altar to Buddha, Laos.
• - Lycian tombs, Türkiye.
• - Thracian Falls, Benkovski, Kirkovo, Bulgaria.
• - Troglodyte tombs of the Priory of Carluc, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France.
Current underground urban spaces continue to serve shelter and refuge functions: parking lots, shopping centers or cinemas, or even anti-aircraft and anti-atomic shelters. New functions appear for these spaces: evacuation of space-consuming activities such as transportation, dangerous or undesirable flows such as used water, waste, electricity, gas, etc. This contemporary underground world constitutes a set of spaces built or abandoned under the surface of current cities - underground.[28] A concept invented by the French, later partly abandoned, the underground city has been experienced in Tokyo, Montreal, Helsinki[29] and Kansas City, etc. Amsterdam prepares an underground city for 2018.
The uses have diversified according to the times: underground farms, cellars, pigeon lofts, meeting places, shopping centers, cities, storage (Cf. the Spitzberg seed bank), etc. In the context of sustainable development and ecological concerns, the troglodyte shelter seduces due to its solid, watertight, isolated, extensible, and relatively inexpensive character (depending on the mining and conservation techniques used).
• - The American Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at the South Pole was created in 1956 within the framework of the International Geophysical Year of 1957. The first constructions carried out in 1956-1957 by the US Navy were underground.
• - The Winter Garden by Jean Dubuffet, 1968.
• - Underground shopping centers: large American cities (Montreal,) or Paris, with the Forum des Palcos, connected to the metro and the RER.
• - The conception of a future base on Mars involves buried projects (see Manned Mission to Mars).
Not being defined as habitat, the rehabilitation of troglodyte spaces is framed in municipal laws and in the civil code that governs land law, the construction code and the property code.
Current technologies allow for new underground installations in which natural light can be directed to the places where it is needed through light tubes. Walls equipped with large flat screens will be able to broadcast natural landscapes.