Why were early medieval buildings round?

[@Darkenedflamex]

One of the additional benefits of digging your home into the earth in areas like Scandinavia is that the earth is naturally warmer in the winter than the air, and the reverse in the summer months. Building a structure into the earth would enable better temperature regulation and decrease the amount of fuel needed to heat a home during cold months. This would only become unreasonable if the area was far enough north to have permafrost under the topsoil or if there was large amounts of rock in the soil. This can also be seen in a reversed fashion in many arid regions where homes are carved into the sides of ravines, hills, and canyons reducing exposure to the sun and helping the keep a home cool during the day and warm during the cold nights.

[@ragnkja]

Yeah, there's a reason why more than half the buildings in Coober Pedy are dugouts.

[@shadiversity]

Sorry about the funky audio in this one, I work form a laptop with only one primary speaker and because of that couldn't notice the render error that caused the audio to switch between mono and stereo through the video. Oh well, at least I know to check it in future videos now. Also perfect squares have four corners ^_^

[@AdredenGaming]

It happens :)

[@humbugryerson8845]

Hey shad thanks for the videos. I really enjoy you and your content. Cheers from canada

[@wingbreak3r]

"There are two shads. Why are there two shads? Oh dear, better check the comments."

[@lich4493]

I've watched few of your videos on castles and craftsmanship... They have all been great so far and I was wondering were did you learn this? Did you have a formal education or are you self taught? You seem well learned either way but I was curious.

[@guywithakalashnikov1505]

Shadiversity i will literally shit myself if you reply to this

[@WeissM89]

So you're telling me that making a building with dirt in Minecraft is actually historically accurate? Who would have thought! Maybe not very important, but circles have the most area with the least perimeter. You have more space using less materials on the walls. The downside? Those damn IKEA furniture don't fit.

[@orsettomorbido]

No trip to ikea? I'll call that a good thing XD

[@Noone-rc9wf]

WeissM89 Yes that is very accurate, but the building itself being square is not!

[@christosvoskresye]

Back then, the Scandinavians were taking the furnishings, not supplying them.

[@janbaer3241]

Since Ikea furniture falls apart after a couple of years, none has survived from the medieval period. The only record of Ikea furniture existing in the 20th century are from line drawings that have survived.

[@rollingthunder1043]

@Allen Loser Technically the way Shad framed it, he's discussing the HEIGHT of the walls. He never addresses the fact that a circle would reduce the materials needed, even if you kept the wall the same 7-8 feet high.

[@deldarel]

Ahh, the old DOS age of housing: no support for windows

[@fedorchr7910]

Lol, u made my day :)

[@P3nguin79]

Two years later sir and this made me giggle. Thank you.

[@sheepdog5799]

It’s ok the windows wouldn’t have worked anyways 🤣

[@jannesiukkola1877]

The house with windows would probably have collapsed...

[@WitherBossEntity]

So basically, they were cutting corners? ;)

[@biblicallyaccuratecockroach]

+WitherBossEntity BAD (perfect)

[@ringo1692]

Yukyukyuk 😂😂😂

[@vero-kd8vg]

AYYYYYY

[@thepip3599]

Ba dum ssss

[@JoelHudson]

👍

[@CosmicDuck494]

One of the main reasons why these roofs are so steep is because thatch needs to be laid at a steep angle so the water drains off properly. If it is too flat, it will get soaked through (and probably leak) and rot. Also, a circle has the greatest area to perimeter ratio, meaning you need less building materials to enclose the same area than in a rectangle, and it will be easier to heat. I think one of the main reasons for rectangular houses is lack of space. In a town you probably don't want to waste the corners left out by the circle, and if you want to build multiple storeys you need walls anyway. I like your explanation with windows too.

[@rjfaber1991]

I think you're spot-on about the reasons people moved from circular to rectangular houses, but I would add that the steady move from houses consisting of a single large hall to houses consisting of many separate rooms played a role in that as well; it's much more difficult to effectively divide a circle up into rooms that have workable shapes and sizes.

[@futurerandomness1620]

I'm not sure how important this would be but with a circular footprint it's also very easy to lay out the foundation. Just take a couple of sticks and a string there you go. Plus if you are making multiple houses of you can keep the same diameter of house you'll know precisely how much material you'll need

[@Friendlylilfella]

Completely agree. A shame Shad didn't talk about this.

[@Xeno426]

Yeah, I was thinking he missed the point that thatch isn't waterproof, so it needs to be at high angle to actually keep the water off.

[@christiana4628]

Really good input. I thought with fireplace in center of circle the heat would be even all around. In mediveal cityplanning (sweden) the housing plots are always rectangular with gardens on the backside because the price were based on the length next to the street.

[@Bacteriophagebs]

One of my favorite things about Shad's videos is that even if I know the answer to the title question, I still pick up a few new pieces of information every time.

[@mercurialman6255]

You should hook up with Primitive Techonology and make a early medieval hut with him.

[@Noone-rc9wf]

Mercurial Man BRUHHHH *BEST IDEA EVERR*

[@corryjohnson8654]

I have to wait 90 days to change my profile name, I second that. How awesome would that be!

[@Noone-rc9wf]

Corry Johnson I know how: SUPER FUCKIN' AWESOME!

[@miles6283]

I love these architecture videos! Keep them up!

[@taurusmachina]

I really like your videos because A: They show me how much more scary fantasy creatures actually are, B: because I love medieval weaponry and combat arts and C: because you answer questions I didn't ask myself and now get to say: "Hey, I didn't know that! Neat to know! ...I guess?". More seriously, keep it up, your videos are informative and really well made while still remaining simplistic (regarding not overflowing with visuals and all) and you can really see that you know your stuff. Love the channel!

[@taurusmachina]

By the way, some of the white houses you talked about in the end of the video are called "Fachwerkhaus" in german. Even today, you can see a lot of those standing around in Germany in really good shape! It's interesting to see how much history is still standing in some parts of the world, and from what period those are coming from!

[@gailraby1722]

+TheDome999 I don't even know why I am disagreeing with you.. but I do, and I feel very strongly about it.

[@Owlettehoo]

Shad, I'd just like to let you know that your videos helped me make a fort with my D&D group (I was the heavy lifter during the planning period). Our defenses were so good, that the enemies didn't get past our first wall. We spent 5+ hours planning our fort (because our DM is stupidly kind and warned us that he had a huge battle planned for us) because we were expecting the battle to last just as long. It ended up being finished really quickly and it was REALLY anti-climatic. But we did get some bomb ass weapons and a shit ton of exp out of it.

[@dockmasterted]

I lived in an 18 foot Tepee in Wisconsin, USA for two years.....It was made of canvas, and a type of long skinny tree called "lodge pole pine. and I stayed in it all winter and summer, and was very comfortable in it!.... the best part was you could take it apart and move it to any place you wanted. And could set it up in under 1/2 hr. and take it down in 1/4 hr. ....look up "the tepee it's use and construction" to see how they were made and transported.

[@Cammi_Rosalie]

When some big-name film producer decides to make the next big budget medieval fantasy-adventure movie, I hope they hire you on as a historical consultant. With your knowledge of such things and even your logical approach to fantasy creatures, such a movie would be freakin' awesome! Heck I bet you yourself could direct such a film. I would watch it.

[@ieuanhunt552]

There is also the fact that circles and spheres have the least surface area to volume of any shape. So if you make your building circular you get the most internal volume i.e living space for the least amount of wall area.

[@ManDuderGuy]

Acid kicks in at 2:30. Nice video Shad. My third eye is wide open.

[@shadiversity]

I think I might claim that this was my intent all along ^_^

[@ManDuderGuy]

Lol rock on man :)

[@bigdog91paper]

It was fuckin crazy. It's hard to explain, but with audiophile headphones it made my ears...tingle.

[@ElliWoelfin]

It technically is ASMR, Wlbigdog.

[@MrxstGrssmnstMttckstPhlNelThot]

A.A.-ron comes back at 9:43 Needed to close it back up.

[@Ctane126]

One additional reason to use a round shape is probably that a circle has the highest ratio between area and circumference, so you get more square meters for your wall meters with it

[@Tangent_Pixel]

I actually use you as a source when writing my fantasy novels. Even though one could say "It's fantasy, it doesn't have to be realistic." I really think that there's a lot to be said for logically realistic elements in your fantasy worlds. Would love to give you a presentation of my fantasy world one day and let you go at it with constructive criticism! That'll take a while though...

[@MsWatismyname]

Be sure to let us all know, I think most of the subscribers agree upon this.

[@fakiirification]

the best fiction is 95% reality with the fantastic elements sprinkled in. Lets the reader relate to the world and feel more connected to the characters. "Plausibility" is the key word i like to use to describe it. If you publish on ebook or other format drop a link to where we can purchase. =)

[@alexandersh86]

Fantasy doesn't have to be realistic but its inhabitants will mostly still want to conserve time and resources. You can throw realism out of the window but not logic.

[@RedPanda391]

Tangent How is it going with your novels?

[@Yarblocosifilitico]

@Haku infinite yep. Rigor is what allows the consumer to be inmersed in the world. You can set up rules that are as unrealistic as you want, but their consequences still have to be logical (realistic); otherwise the whole thing feels meaningless.

[@jeremyO9F911O2]

Journeyman roofer here. You correctly identify the complexity of the difficulty of joining corners is spot on. But you've overlooked two far more important points. 1. Flat sided roofs require ridges at corners or peaks. Ridges are actually not very problematic. However the opposite of a ridge is a valley. These are extremely problematic, if you build a round roof then you can avoid construction of valleys completely. Valleys are extremely hard to waterproof and also are subject to snow loading. As well they are a structural pressure point, so must be extra strong. Again round roofs avoid this. 2. Second overlook is that the key simplicity in constructing a round roof vs a hip roof. Now a gabled end roof does solve all problems I mention as there are no valleys and they are easier to construct vs a round roof. Of course since the thesis is that walls are the most problematic them hip or round roof is the better option than gabled. However hip roofs are the hardest to construct because each joist is a different length and each joist must be fitted to the ridge joist at an angle. While with a gabled or round roof all the joists are equal length. Though you would shorten your joist for the entrance on the round roof but you still avoid the angular join. While by today's standards the math for calculating lengths on a hip roof are fairly trivial. In middle ages said math would be extremely exclusive.

[@hmmm6317]

Q:why people made their houses round? A:cause dogs can't shit in the corner

[@carthagemustbedestroyed]

Wisdom of the ancients! I shall build my homes in circular formation from now on.

[@sueszooinmizzousueszooinmi2613]

ĐÆÑÖRĮŅ ŚŰØŘŽƏÑÆMŮŠ I like your explanation better than his!

[@PalleRasmussen]

It is ferrets that shit in corners.

[@AnnaMarianne]

Love it when someone makes an explanation video on a subject I hadn't even thought about. Thanks a lot!

[@shadiversity]

My pleasure and I'm so glad you enjoy!

[@Giganfan2k1]

Anna Marianne ditto. This video gets close to my dream home.

[@jswifty5889]

The dome structure is also a basic survival shelter you can make fairly easily

[@windhelmguard5295]

it's a very situational design though, if you end up needing shelter in an area where all the materials needed are widely avalable, you're good, but especially proper roofing material can be fairly difficult to find nowdays.

[@jeremyleyland1047]

To be fair, perfect squares do have 3 corners, there is just a bonus corner.

[@em8sal]

And in all perfect corners have one proper square inside or at least useful space

[@gibbous_silver]

What

[@SamuraiLeluke]

Shad your videos are always a joy to watch. Not only because of the interesting subjcts you talk about, but because your knowledge and love or the subject clearly shines through everytime you get to talk about anything medieval. Your videos concerning castle architecture and defenses have always been my favourites, and I really hope you keep making more awesome architecture videos! Even though you're making it very hard for me to focus on studying!

[@mcrettable]

I enjoy architecture and I love videos like this

[@williamadiputra2850]

as an architecture student i want moar of these kind of content

[@mattmattmatt131313]

Hey, as you are an architecture student, I was wondering, if you can help me out? I am very much interested in historical development of architecture mainly focusing on european manor houses, villas, palaces,... mostly from medieval through modern age till now (also castles and churches and just houses in general). I am wondering if you are aware of any good sites/ youtube channels, that take this topic and neatly break it down to each individual style(Baroque, Rococo, Gothic,...), through history in a chronological order and geographical location(Italian style, German style,...). There is lots of content of this type, but none that break it down in a coherent consumable orderly package. I went through a similar course in my highschool years, but I would like to renew that knowledge and mainly learn the english terminology for these different styles (not a native speaker). I feel so frustrated at times, when I am looking for a picture of a particular style of building on Google. I know what it looks like, but because I lack the proper terminology I can't find it.

[@mattmattmatt131313]

I'm also wondering, if there exists an architecture catalog online, where you can neatly search for different building types. Think of it like a used car site, where you can select all different types of parameters. age: 97-03 type: coupe, sedan, station wagon,... Fuel type: petrol, diesel, hybrid,... Hp: 90-150hp etc. and then you would get all the results of cars that fit the selected parameters. So for architecture it would look like this. Age: 12-14th century Building type: church Building style: Gothic Location: France And you would get results like: Notre-Dame, Lyon Cathedral,...with picture. Ask around (your professors, etc.) If they know of anything like that.

[@williamadiputra2850]

hmm sorry cant help you idk any of that kind of books or channel, i live in asia you see so medieval european architecture isnt so familiar here to the professor or any of the student. hmm maybe stephen biesty castle book would help?, you should probably ask shad, he probably have the sources to be able to talk about medieval architecture

[@williamadiputra2850]

just curious, what would you use it for?

[@mattmattmatt131313]

First, just cause I'm curious, but second, I sometimes use it for 3D design, making models, etc. It's so frustrating knowing the general look of the building you are trying to find, but you can't as you don't know the correct terminology. For instance, I was searching for similar buildings to the Lara Croft house from the first few games, where I could have just writen "15th century english tudor manor" (at least I think that is what it is after searching around for a bit:)). Correct terminology, correct search results. Saves you a lot of searching around. Things get even more complicated as you get to the many many diverse modern architectural styles and directions.

[@uberkirbeeh7954]

So shortly, it was easier to make and cost less resources and time. Round medieval houses are cool.

[@khhnator]

no, they are hot

[@dperry19661]

and being round they had a higher survival rate in wind storms

[@benjamingrist6539]

It really is surprising how much "primitive" cultures did and do with the limitted resources they had/have. I certainly wouldn't have come up with the idea for a structure like this.

[@wu1ming9shi]

yeah but you have to keep in mind that making houses like these is something that the prehistoric human already did. Everyone from then on just passed down that knowledge from decendant to decendant. Someone perhaps came up with some new ideas for it though here and there but the essence still largely stayed the same. It was all trial and error and enhanced through the centuries. So it's possible not one erson came up with this form but maybe more people through different generations.

[@dinolegends6599]

A survivor. Iron Age round houses did not need holes in the roof, the smoke just filtered through the thatch. This also meant that the thatch was preserved by the smoke.

[@tonlito22]

Criminal lack of machicolations in this video.

[@ollep9142]

And what about dragons?

[@montauk1684]

MACHICOLATIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS Also, HERE ̶B̶E̶ WERE DRAGONS

[@ivan55599]

This information can be very important in future, if crisis comes...

[@eclipsesolar8345]

"if" ?

[@brianknezevich9894]

I hate to give compliments like this, but, Shad, this is absolutely brilliant. Absolutely excellent.

[@bretonic1812]

Because they didnt have enough material to make a full castle so they settled for just the top of a castle tower?

[@Munich22100]

IntoBeyond 👏🏻

[@MauroDraco]

Speaking of castles, if round homes were so prevalent early on, why only later in castle designs were round towers built?

[@bretonic1812]

Mauro, if i had to hazard a guess I'd say its mainly because stone is easier to use in rectangular formations than circular ones or perhaps its because stone was precious and a square shape is more efficient for covering land.

[@LMAccount1]

Mauro Draco K. Bigatto - one thing is the strength of the tower. If it’s square, a direct attack with a trebuchet to a wall would break through. With a round tower, it’s strength is the same from any angle

[@JonatasAdoM]

It's a hybrid, from it you could upgrade to a house. You made my night

[@DaglasVegas]

what a wonderfully informative video. many primitive houses were round, not just in medieval Europe. circular homes were common in Africa in the Americas in south-east Asia, not just Europe, probably the first houses early neolithic men built where round, in Melanesia roundhouses can be found built and lived on to this day. It is clearly an effective design

[@shadiversity]

Thanks heaps mate!

[@shattywack]

Man I love your videos. I would have never thought of looking this up, very cool stuff. Now I want to build one

[@corryjohnson8654]

You really do make the best videos Shad! I love medieval history and you do such a good job with presenting even the smallest details. This is definitely my favorite channel!

[@blackorder7561]

totally agree with you go shad

[@thrand6760]

funnilly enough i built a Roundhouse a few weeks ago and i reguarly stay in it overnight, Wattle and daub walls and turfed roof, its winter now over in England and when i have the fire indoors lit it is bliss, i built my own couch and bed in there and its so cosy, deerskin quilting and pillows etc, but when i was building it i asked the same quetion... why round? it would of actually been easier for me to do rectangle but i opted for round for historical accuracy sake and since doing it ive realised it is great at holding out against the wind and keeping in the warmth if you ever decide to come to England and are around the Cheshire area you are always welcome to come see it and stay in it for a night if you like, you could also even see Conwy castle which is just a short drive away :) thanks for the vid superb and you got it bob on

[@halsaufschneider1446]

With the right amount of machicullations, you don't even need a roof. The water would automatically rain through the holes...

[@DzinkyDzink]

Right onto the floor?

[@TheLewras]

Something else to note about the steepness of the roof being continued in the middle of the building, well after reaching head height, is that it puts more space between your fire and your grass roof, reducing the chances of burning your house down.

[@toddellner5283]

Interesting thing I learned from the informative book about beavers "Once They Were Hats"... Early humans in parts of Eurasia and North America where their were beavers copied the construction of beaver lodges to build some of the earliest durable round homes.

[@Azumazini]

Another reason for you Shad on why they were common is how easy it is to measure a circular home when building it. You literally just need to find the center, drive a stake in it and use a single length pole/stick or whatever timber you want to use and pivot from that point to make a perfect circle. It requires zero tooling and any one can do it. This means within a day you can square off and pack the foundation and have it laid out within record time. Primitive Technology channel shows him using that technique to make a prehistoric home with that method including making a bed attached to the framework using nothing but some rocks to cut down material.

[@tomaszmazurek64]

Thatches were also commonly made of straw left from gathering grains - so yes, material for a thatch was easily available.

[@MKahn84]

That same straw was used when making mud bricks.

[@risasb]

And grains were taller then -- modern grains are designed for combine harvest machines and a bit short to make good thatch.

[@svenskogheim8445]

Shad I really fucking love ya keep up the good work

[@ChickenWire]

Its also easier to heat your house and have an effective chimney in a round house with a point ontop

[@paulsawczyc5019]

If you decide to move you can just roll your house.

[@ajrwilde14]

they didn't have chimneys, smoke diffused through the thatch

[@wiegraf-FNC]

I loved this video. Pretty much what i have always imagined about them being round and low walled. cost-effect of materials, time and work involved. Occam's razor I guess. Keep the good work Shad. We are supporting you!

[@PatrisDev]

I have to say, the models that you do and the photoshopped visualisations are all very well exectuted, not nearly enough credit for that! Well done!

[@FunkyFyreMunky]

There is an archeological dig on my step-dad's farm just on the Welsh border in Britain. The site is pulling stuff dating from neolithic through to late-medieval. There are counteless post-holes for round-houses and even a recreation, using the original post-hole layout with period-appropriate materials and techniques. The farm was also site to an RAF training base during the war. My step-dad was kind enough to gift me one of the better-condition air-raid shelters (a 50ft long Stanton air-raid shelter) to fix up and use as a hunting lodge. I'm currently building a raised hearth in there out of glacial stone that was pulled out of the dig site by the archeologists. They used to be part of a henge.

[@wezza668]

Really interesting how you can go from swords to archtitecture whilst still being well understandable and interesting. :)

[@DavidThomas-sv1tk]

Also, rectangular dwellings need more rigidity in their straight walls requiring heavier timbers or thicker stone walls. Circular walls can be woven from vines and branches requiring far less hewing of logs.

[@AdobadoFantastico]

Great video. Looking forward to the follow up video.

[@cosmiclive4437]

Dafuq happened at 2:31? Suddenly there are two Shads speaking. I mean I'm not complaining about more videos, but if you both try to speak at the same time it gets confusing.

[@shadiversity]

A render bug I didn't catch unfortunately, oh well these things happen ^_^

[@bremwynn9090]

Double the Shad, double the fun

[@yesfredfredburger8008]

Cosmic Live two Shads are better than one! I'll see myself out...

[@Noone-rc9wf]

Shadiversity You have achieved such a high level of *INTERESTINGNESS* that you duplicated yourself!!! ITS A MIRACLE! ALL HAIL SAINT SHAD!

[@brancaleone8895]

its Shadinator an australian robot from the future

[@Quasihamster]

There was another reason for round homes in later medieval periods: Much like modern concepts for extremely tall skyscrapers utilise round footprints to cope with wind-induced forces, medieval structures were round so that thrown pommels would glance off more easily.

[@PongoXBongo]

I always wondered if they ever used full-length trees as supports to build whopping great round homes, maybe even just building around a living tree.

[@flyingbeerbottle]

In early medieval ages (Germany/Switzerland, other places I don't know) rural settlements were a lot more mobile. There are exemples of settlements who "wandered" kilometers through their "life". One reason could be the lack of crop rotation and the emaciate of the ground. Combined with your explanation that round houses are simpler and more time efficient to build this makes a lot more sense now to me. Definitely going to ask my Profs about that. Thank you Shad

[@DemonRazor88]

I work as a stone mason and i can tell it takes so much time to build anything :D

[@thomaskirkness-little5809]

I'd be really interested to know what a modern stone mason's tools look like compared to a medieval one.

[@DemonRazor88]

Thomas Kirkness-Little Hammer and chisle,as it was back in the day.At the moment I'm building a stone wall and the only tool I am using is a hammer 🔨

[@thomaskirkness-little5809]

Brilliant. Some things just can't be improved upon.

[@JerryEricsson]

Lovely video, thanks much for your effort. I have just begun to follow your videos and find that I learn a lot. I have always maintained that learning something new every day has a tennancy to keep ones mind young and active, at 67 years, I need all the learning I can get. These round homes remind me very much of the homes built by the Mandan Indians in what is now North Dakota, as well as several other tribes, who built round earth lodges to keep them warm through the hellish winters that happen in this part of the USA.

[@TheLiamis]

Because dragons can't see circles.

[@spartanwar1185]

I'm fuckin' dead Lmfao!

[@adamsloan9616]

Best ... possible ... answer ... EVER!

[@owos100]

Ah, but WHAT ABOUT HUMANS?

[@TheLiamis]

BluCat humans can see circles.

[@owos100]

TheLiamis WOAH :O

[@sampylae]

Why do I feel like heading out in to the forest and building a circular house suddenly? :O

[@PongoXBongo]

If only those pesky modern building codes didn't get in the way, we could all do just that. ;)

[@MrRourk]

Google Colorado and California Yurts

[@wandererstraining]

Dude, ME TOO! I am lucky enough to have access to a land (currently 4000 km away, but still, it's my land!), and I'm thinking maybe I want to build a circular treehouse with a really pointy roof there.

[@NonoNonaa]

@@wandererstraining bruh i been squatting on your land for 3 years

[@wandererstraining]

@@NonoNonaa As long as you don't damage the environment, I don't care, ha ha. Everyone should have a place to go.

[@Strawberry92fs]

I have only one unanswered question about circular homes. What. About. Dragons?

[@madao7865]

Well, I guess it's less convenient for them to land on a pointy circular structure. So if you don't want your home to be crushed by a dragon, make it circular. Doesn't help against the fire breath, though.

[@Runentafel]

I'm really looking forward to the next video in this series. I'm super interested in the architecture and the reasons that led to certain decisions. Thanks a lot for doing these!

Actually Shad, the choice of stone vs brick is mostly dictated by what is locally available and what is easy to get. To go to a place I know well, the Netherlands hardly used any stone and started with bricks were early. There's a late 11th century house in Utrecht made with brick. And another confirmed example in county Holland (roughly the province of Noord-Holland) dating from 1230, as the earliest confirmed example in the west. Because in a river delta like the Netherlands, clay is plentiful, but stone had to be cut far south and transported over the rivers. Land transport of something that heavy was pretty much impossible. That made natural stone prohibitively expensive. At the same time alone many rivers there are a lot of stone kilns, if you see it on a map you can see they pretty much dot the river delta. While by contrast, suppose you're in south-west England, you've got natural stone nearby, making it much cheaper to build in that. And sure enough, even today in that region you see a lot of natural stone houses, and comparatively little in brick. Buildings from before that era are gone, so we simply don't know how the Netherlands looked for certain. But thatch was quite plentiful too in wet regions, while forests weren't around everywhere in the west and soon began to ran out as population increased. The Netherlands and Belgium actually began using peat as a fuel because of the lack of forests, so I'd expect a lot of thatch-mud construction fairly late still going on in the Netherlands. Funny trivia: an ancestor of mine in 1830 actually lived in a mud and thatch hut on the moor, due to poverty. Sources: Perlich & Van Tussenbroek, 2005, Technik des Backsteinbaus im Europa des Mittelalters Van Tussenbroek, 2012, Vroege baksteen in Holland tot 1300 Dolfin, Keylstra & Penders, 2011, Utrecht. De huizen binnen de singels. Overzicht

[@caahacky]

Well done - you managed expertly to talk around and about and succeeded in avoiding using the word "gable". Enjoyed the video very much. Thanks.

[@chrisc1140]

Another thing making the circular easier/faster to build: MATH!!! Circles (well, cylinder vs rectangular prism) contain a greater volume for a given surface area. Which means for a certain amount of floor space (since the height of both types of wall could easily be the same, area vs perimeter is what mostly matters) you have to build less wall, meaning less time taken in construction and less of the more expensive material used.

[@PongoXBongo]

Also, less math needed to design and build a circular house. A cone is essentially self-supporting, without the need for measuring right angles and loads borne. Just get the first two supports at equal angles and you're good to go.

[@Hawkeye446]

Exactly what I was thinking! A circular house gives maximum usable space for the material cost. Another reason I would guess round fell out of favor is because that efficiency disappears as soon as you get neighbors. Cities are basically built on grids and circles just don't fill in grids very well.

[@TheWampam]

They are bad before you get neighbors. You can't built larger houses because the roof would get to high and to larger.

[@paulsawczyc5019]

People in those days probably were not so concerned about storing all their junk because I don't think they had any.

[@thewyj]

Another advantage of circular homes is an even distribution of heat from a central fire place. You can fit more people around the fire for eating / sleeping etc if it is round. A rectangular room with a central fireplace will be cold at either end, particularly the end with the door.

[@TheCrudestDude]

I was enjoying the video (as usual) then when the audio turned funky something occurred to me...SHAD MUST BE A DECEPTICON

[@PongoXBongo]

He's Mega-Shad and those swords behind him are his army.

[@asefb9864]

I love it when you talk about architecture ❤️ Architecture is a big part of culture and the more you know about it, the more you'll understand the period and lifestyle of the people who built it..

[@brent8878]

Can you imagine the stress those men went through to find furniture suitable for a circular house. Catching the plague was a more preferable option.

[@pedigreeann]

Saw reproductions of such houses in a Saxon-style village in East Anglia. They were dugouts, with a ring of sitting-height earth around the outside of the house, wide enough to sleep on. Comfy enough when covered with furs and fabrics,could be used as workbenches or shelves during the daytime. As Shad has pointed out before, most people spent a large part of their day working out of doors in those days, so such a hut didn't need to be large or furnished. Yes, I know you were being facetious.

[@berkleypearl2363]

The homes that are circular with roofs all the way down are basically just slightly more permanent tipis. That’s really cool! Aren’t humans just so clever!

[@calebcampbell9280]

These circle houses are alright I guess but the lack of machicolations kinda kills it for me.

[@marcun666]

Also you can't send your kid into corner.

[@michaouwens8185]

marcun666 but you can force him to walk around in the corner!

[@DasIllu]

There is another point for round thatch roofs: the cone is the best when it comes to distribute load. When ever you have an edge, forces from wind, snow or soaked thatch will cause the most problems exactly there. You can try that easily yourself. Take two pieces of paper. Fold one into a usual roof shape and roll the other into a cone. When you start pushing down on it or from the sides you'll notice that the cone is much more rigid. And when you blow on it from the side the cone also outperforms. In modern days it is ofcourse obsolete. But back then it was pretty smart.

[@MyrdinAnnoth]

Good informative video. Keep up the good work and thanks !

[@johnalbert2102]

Great video, Shad! Besides the advantages you mentioned, I've thought of a few more. 1. From the perspective of conserving labor and materials, the biggest benefit of a circular plan comes down to basic geometry. A circle contains the greatest ratio of area to wall length. By making your building circular, you can enclose the largest possible space with the least amount of wall-building effort. Of course your roof design needs to be a little more elaborate. But as you pointed out, that early medieval building style involves roofs constructed out of lightweight, renewable resources so that's another labor-saver. 2. Besides the conservation aspect, a circular wall is the most structurally sound because it distributes the load of the roof evenly around the entire circumference of the wall. Straightening the walls and adding corners not only increases the overall footage of the wall, but it also creates load points in those corners where the weight of the roof becomes concentrated. Under increased stress (like a buildup of snow on the roof), any one of those corners can become a point of failure. So a round plan tends to produce a more stable structure. 3. A round structure is much easier to lay out because it obviates all the work of drawing up a building plan and then having to survey straight lines and angles at your site. With a circular house, the planning of your building can easily be done entirely on-site. All you need to do is decide how much space you want to enclose, figure out the radius of the circle, find a suitable center-point on your building site, drive a stake into the ground, loop a rope around the stake, and pace out the perimeter of the circle as if you're drawing with a compass. if you want to put a house up quickly, all your planning can easily be done right there on the day of construction. These reasons are probably why the circular plans are so popular among nomadic and low-tech civilizations. Look at structures like teepees, igloos, yurts, rondavels, wiltjas etc. I really enjoy your take on historical architecture and lifestyle topics. Keep up the good work!

[@johnalbert2102]

I see somebody else already raised the point about geometry. Ah well, it's a KZbin comments section so that's to be expected.

[@professormetal4411]

7:32 A perfect square, that has three corners. Am I misunderstanding something or did you just make a silly mistake?

[@VexChoccyMilk]

Bithor Gaming Nah m8, because if you start off in one direction, you make one left turn, a second left turn, and a final left turn, and boom, you’re back where you started, having made a square with 3 right angles.

[@pyryharakka7748]

You made three turn but the last line connects with the starting point forming the fourth corner........

[@professormetal4411]

laamanaama69 Don't argue his logic, you'll lose braincells

[@pyryharakka7748]

lmao

[@Topstormking]

Lmao

[@climbscience4813]

One aspect that I really expected you to cover is that a circle has the best ratio of the length of the contour line to the area. In other words: With a given length of the wall a circular house lets you cover the largest surface area. So, even without the need for windows and the issue with angling work in the roof it would make sense to build round houses. ;-)

[@metayerman]

Thanks! That explains a lot. Now that you’ve said it, it seems obvious; funny how that works.

[@KryssLaBryn]

Another reason for moving away from round houses to rectangular or square ones is that it makes it easier to subdivide the interior into multiple usable spaces (one needs to get quite a large diameter before a pie-shaped room has usable floor space); and that it is easier to place rectangular furniture inside (again, one needs quite a large diameter, even for a one-room space, in order to be able to fit something as large and generally rectangular as a bed or pallet against a wall comfortably within it, let alone multiple items). My husband talked me into making a round chicken coop instead of the rectangular one I'd designed because it would take less time and material (we were doing it in stackwall/cordwood) to enclose the same amount of floor space; but the utility of the space dropped dramatically when we moved from the 10' x 10' divided-in-half rectangular space (which had room to put garbage cans for feed storage along the wall without interfering with access to the back of the nesting boxes in the interior wall, as well as allowing the external and interior doors to line up, making getting in with a wheelbarrow for mucking it out much easier) to a 10' diameter round (also divided in half; but the two half-circles were next to useless to fit containers or feed or other equipment into, let alone perches etc--and with trying to keep the interior door down one end, so as to move the nesting boxes as far from the chicken's access door as possible for fewer winter drafts, we couldn't line the two doors up the way we could in a rectangle, meaning that the wheelbarrow could only be brought in through the one, outer door, and then shovelfuls of poopy sawdust had to be carefully manoeuvred through the interior door into it, making the process a whole lot more time-consuming as well as messier). I am not surprised at all that round buildings have largely been abandoned as a style; they really aren't very practical, and while, yeah, they take less time to assemble; they also create a heavier workload with everything impacted by the layout (especially when subdivided into rooms), and that keeps on for the life of the building, rather than just for the construction of it. You get into something like wattle and daub, and the labour is still pretty low even in a rectangular building, and wow, it's just so much easier to use that space.

[@yushatak]

This was a really damn good video - I never knew the purpose of the low walls/no walls, round vs. square, etc.. Learned a lot!

[@thetechfella1]

I'm really late finding this gem, but another reason from what you and others in the comments mentioned is less materials (20% less for the same area) and more wind resistance (wind passes around rather than pushing on the walls). Thus a half-@s home with steep round roof sheds rain, wind, and other weather better than a square home of the same standard (on top of being cheaper and faster to make).

[@generalgage4780]

shads channel! now featuring medieval Architecture Series!

[@remnantryku7112]

I learn so much from you, Shad. Your amazing!

[@JimGiant]

Whenever I've done building work I found myself thinking about how much more time consuming it must have been back in the day. Imagine how much work it would take just to get stone to a building site when you couldn't just drive at 60mph and pick up 4 tons at a time.

[@shadiversity]

I know, I think about this whenever I use a dropsaw, drill or any other electric tool. Modern technology makes things incredibly easy compared to the past, yet they still made and built incredible things.

[@rjfaber1991]

Absolutely. It is of course worth bearing in mind that this all happened in a time when labour was virtually worthless and time was cheap as well, so it wouldn't have been prohibitively expensive to build in stone, but it would indeed have taken an absolute age, as would any building project.

[@EvitoCruor]

I realize I'm necroing a 2 year old thread but there is one Major thing missing in these discussion I must add. Primitive tech does not equal inherently inefficient, they had traditions skills and a veritable industry for such things. From some records I've seen a town house could be ready in as little as a month. The Romans used to build 20km of fortifications in a Single Day. Their tech was simple but they were not simple People. There are still things we can't replicate two thousand years later.

[@peter-radiantpipes2800]

Love this video! Can’t wait for the next one. Thank you for the time it took to make this!

[@chriscalvin5083]

good video Shad

[@benriful]

Another reason for the steep pitch is that thatch (and for that matter other grass and reed roofs) aren't water tight when they're too flat. Usually no less than 45 degrees is a good rule of thumb. BTW, the words you were struggling with describing the "sticks" and pieces of timber: Rafter would be the radial "beams" from the low wall up to the apex of the roof, while the horizontal small "sticks" can be called purlins.

[@croatianwarmaster7872]

This is fucking awesome!!!!! Do more of these,loved the video about late medieval houses with higher floors sticking out.

[@moigoi4957]

He has one about why the overhang exists! See "Why do medieval buildings overhang their lower floors?" Of course, more info is always great so if he's learned more I too would love to listen to it.

[@tomfisher9089]

Croatian Warmaster WOW FUCKING AWESOME,SUCH A PRIMITIVE, UNCOUTH, UNEDUCATED, UNCULTURED RESPONSE.

[@tomfisher9089]

magpiefrog from I was making fun of croatian warmasters crudeness

[@sparx180]

Croatian Warmaster While visiting my uncle outside London I was surprised to find that thatched homes were still being built. We do not build buildings to stand them test of time nor are they built with imagination. Just throwaways in my estimation!

[@rach_laze]

Chloe wilson it's very rare if not unheard of for a new build to be thatched were these new builds or was it just an already built house being re-thatched because there's tonnes of those still about if you go to the right areas the thatch has to be replaced every couple of years sooner if it's been particularly cold/wet people still train as Thatchers as it's pretty good pay these days and fairly niche

[@stefanomorandi7150]

medieval (and in general "ancient") architecture video are my favourites! awesome content Sir

[@JohnSmith-bg4hu]

yes!! more medieval and early construction methods!! I've been wanting videos on German Wattle and Daub and all that stuff for a while, been a dream of mine to build one of those timber-frame medieval style houses with the overhangs for a long time

[@ketherga]

To add, thatch roofs are also not water proof if they're not steeply angled, and wet grass rots... fast. Also, I think it' important to note, when you say you cut poles off the trees, it's not that we're talking about cutting strips off the trunk, they would actually prune the trees such that the branches would grow into thin poles wich could then be cut off and cut to length.

[@LeeMorgan07]

Round houses are more efficient. Material wise, the circumference of a circle is smaller than a square of the same internal area. Domes are also more efficient in heating (radiant heating waves) than a square - example: wigwams and igloos. Reasons that you would build a building square is that you need a grid (when buildings touch each other) and circles are not as useful. Also a flat wall is convenient to place objects against - like a square bed. Or maybe you are trying to replicate the local fashion - rulers have a square keep, so will you. Materials also dictate what you are going to be working. Fabricating wood beams is more laborious than cutting grass down - more grass means less caloric expenditure. If you are a farmer, surrounded by grasses, it is a lot easier to get grasses than someone living in a city. A lowly farmer can easily come by grasses. It takes a lot of work to dig up clay for wattle and daub, a lot of time to fabricate beams, and forever to gather stones from across the countryside for stone walls. But if you have a dedicated labour force, then cost probably goes down.

[@WagesOfDestruction]

I was thinking the same. Another plus is that medieval people initially did not have a chimney, so they put a hole on the top of the roof to let the smoke out.

[@gibbous_silver]

Circle houses are best Minecraft house

[@RestlessHarp]

Great video, thank you! I got to tour a reconstructed hill fort in Wales a couple years ago and learned a lot about the round thatched houses, but didn't fully understand the reason and advantages of that design until now.

[@daltonevans3412]

Because reasons. Thats why. Reasons.

[@Lovinsanna]

Interesting. The Interior Salish peoples of BC, Canada also built round dwellings. Only they did it just for the winters every year, dug down 2 metres into the dirt and then popped a round roof on top (meaning that it was really quite spacious in there). They'd erect a log, with notches cut out for a sort of ladder, in the centre, to both support a roof and have a smoke vent. Apparently, they'd also have a door on the ground level for the infirm/sickly/pregnant folk to exit the dwelling.

[@ervvmuller6020]

I thought they just didn’t like to clean the corners. :-) now I know thx shad always enjoy being enlightened be your explanations.

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

WInterton on Sea (Norfolk, England) has a number of more modern round houses, the locals claimed it was so the devil didn't have corners to hide in! But the internal partition walls kind of makes that claim defunct.

[@djynfxxbdhtbrn6854]

I wasn't expecting this to be as interesting as it is but you managed to fully enthrall me.

[@bulecrow541]

2:38 shad is a robot!

[@maelgugi]

I, for one, welcome our new robotic overlord

[@Axel230]

SHADATRON approves this statement

[@Dedrithhimself]

Lol I checked the comments to make sure somebody else heard that. Thought I was having a stroke

[@TailcoatGames]

7:32 Yes shad the infamous 3 cornered square Ur channel is great keep it up

[@2MeterLP]

Dang, at first glance the thumbnail looked like a primitive technology video. Perfectly fine with a Shad video too though.

[@alexandersupertramp7191]

i just found this channel, just watched your most popular video and now this one, medival construction tech just like primitive technologies are a real trend it seems, please make more videos on building stuff in the past. ill sub and wait for them.

[@JTMC93]

A-Frame homes were made to provide the same type of benefits. Only given the availability of sawmill made lumber made what little walls were needed affordable.

[@mortimersnead5821]

Of all two dimensional shapes, the circle has the smallest ratio of perimeter to area. Any other shape means either more linear feet of wall, less floorspace or both. What rectangles do well is divide up limited space. With the rise of towns and cities, it makes more sense to build rectangular buildings on rectangular plots of land.

[@MadNumForce]

Another extremely common shape for all sorts of cheap buildings made from renewable resources was the oblong (at least what in French we call oblong: a rectangle with a half circle in place of each short side), because you can make it as long as you want, unlike a circle. And these thatched constructions are simply immemorial, and it is a fact that in France they were still being used in the 30's and 40's, though rarely as actual dwellings. I just found a blog dedicated to these buildings, with photos of one being made step by step in 1942 as a legitimate extension to a farmstead: lacabrett.blogspot.fr/p/construction-dune-loge-en-1942-de-a-z.html Also worth noticing, many people "living in the woods" such as lumberjacks, clogmakers, charcoal makers, "cercliers" (guys making wood bands that were put around barrels to protect them and make them roll), often lived in lodges or huts, sometimes made from bark or wood shavings, byproducts of their own activity, and these were actually used as dwellings (but it was an extremely low social condition). There are many old postcards of such lodges (search in French for "loge" or "hutte" + "cerclier" or "sabotier" or "bucheron", etc), and some are featured on the same blog: lacabrett.blogspot.fr/p/ce-que-sont-les-loges-de-bruyere.html Also another note: though this kind of building is about as old as modern man, it is also relatively environment- specific. In the South of France for example, were the climate is much hotter, much sunnier, and the soil is not at all the same, you were more likely to find relatively similar buildings, but made from rock. fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabane_en_pierre_s%C3%A8che It is more work, but it can last for centuries with minimum maintenance. Actually, the nuragic civilization was a huge fan of such constructions (we call nuraghe), and they lasted to be still be visible today, actually over two millenia and a half after they were built!

[@mysty0]

Circular homes were prevalent because they were recreating the Tipi style tents they lived in as nomadic tribes. One of the functions of a Tipi is that the outer skin did not go all the way to the ground except where it was pegged and inside there was a drop sheet that squared off the bottom of the cone like would be walls. This gave the Tipi ventilation and a natural draft that would carry the smoke out the top while not making it breezy as such to bother the occupants, it also acted as a natural insulation barrier. The houses you show where the roof goes almost all the way to the ground would be replicating Tipi's, they would also have gaps where the roofing meets the walls so as hot air from outside rose it would come inside and warm the dwelling just like how a Tipi functions

[@isaccarce6548]

I'm not sure if they actually knew this, but a circular home is more resistant to wind than a home with flat walls. Could you make a video on common middle ages construction and engineering?

[@janpirklbauer5006]

A circular home also has the maximum wall to area ratio, so it saves even more walls.