A Space for Living and Dying: The Life History of Kharaneh IV Structures

The built environment delineates space for daily actions and important moments. Separating the occupants from the external world, walls can create barriers between the outside and can build communities within them. In archaeological literature, the term “house” often describes the architecture of settled peoples, painting visual images of sturdy stone structures dotting the landscape in perpetuity. In part, this image is constructed as the result of archaeological preservation; stone houses have longevity, with foundations and walls standing for thousands of years. In contrast, ephemeral and organic structures such as tents and brush huts are rarely preserved and thus escape our