A post in ground construction, also called earthfast or hole-set posts, is a type of construction in which vertical, roof-bearing timbers, called posts, are in direct contact with the ground. They may be placed into excavated

posthole In archaeology a posthole or post-hole is a cut feature used to hold a surface timber or stone. They are usually much deeper than they are wide; however, truncation may not make this apparent. Although the remains of the timber may survive, most ...

s, driven into the ground, or on sills which are set on the ground without a foundation. Earthfast construction is common from the

Neolithic period The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

to the present and is used worldwide. Post-in-the-ground construction is sometimes called an "impermanent" form, used for houses which are expected to last a decade or two before a better quality structure can be built. Post in ground construction can also include sill on grade, wood-lined cellars, and

pit house A pit-house (or ''pit house'', ''pithouse'') is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, these structures may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a larder ...

s. Most pre-historic and medieval wooden dwellings worldwide were built post in ground.

History

This type of construction is often believed to be an intermediate form between a

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymology ''Palisade ...

construction and a stave construction. Because the

s are easily detected in archaeological surveys, they can be distinguished from the other two. Post in ground was one of the timber construction methods used for French colonial structures in

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

; it was called ''poteaux-en-terre.'' The Japanese also used a type of earthfast construction until the eighteenth century, which they call Hottate-bashira (literally "embedded pillars").Gina Lee Barnes. ''Yamato: archaeology of the first Japanese state.'' googlebooks?id=S-sDAQAAIAAJ The

Dogon people The Dogon are an ethnic group indigenous to the central plateau region of Mali, in West Africa, south of the Niger bend, near the city of Bandiagara, and in Burkina Faso. The population numbers between 400,000 and 800,000. They speak the Dogon ...

in Africa use post in ground construction for their

toguna A toguna (or palaver hut), also written as ''togu'na'' or ''togu na'' (meaning "great shelter") is a public building erected by the Dogon people in the West African country of Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈� ...

, community gathering places typically located in the center of villages for official and informal meetings.

Poteaux-en-terre

In the historical region of

in North America, ''poteaux-en-terre'' was a historic style of earthfast

timber framing Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large woode ...

. This method is similar to

poteaux-sur-sol Poteaux-sur-sol ("posts on a sill" – sol is also spelled sole and solle) is a style of timber framing in which relatively closely spaced posts rest on a timber sill. Poteaux-en-terre and pieux-en-terre are similar, but the closely spaced posts ...

, but the ''boulin'' (hewn posts) are planted in the ground rather than landing on a

sill plate A sill plate or sole plate in construction and architecture is the bottom horizontal member of a wall or building to which vertical members are attached. The word "plate" is typically omitted in America and carpenters speak simply of the "sill". Ot ...

. The spaces between the boulin are filled with '' bousillage'' (reinforced mud) or ''

pierrotage Pierrotage is a half-timbered timber framing technique in which stone infill is used between posts. It was used in France and by French settlers in French Canada and Upper Louisiana."Pierrotage, pierotage" def. 1. Edwards, Jay Dearborn, and Nico ...

'' (stones and mud). Surviving examples of both types of structures can be found at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri.

Gallery of poteaux-en-terre

File:Drawing of Poteaux-en-Terre in the Beauvais House in Ste Genevieve MO.png, Drawing of poteaux-en-terre in the Beauvais House in Ste Genevieve, Missouri Image:Poteaux-en-Terre Cross-Section.jpg, A cross section of a poteaux-en-terre house. Image:Poteaux-en-Terre Construction.jpg, A model of the Beauvais-Amoureux House, showing poteaux-en-terre construction. Image:Poteaux-en-Terre-Cellar of the Bauvais-Amoureux House.jpg, Poteaux-en-Terre-Cellar of the Maison Beauvais-Amoureux. File:First Courthouse, St. Louis, Missouri.jpg, First Courthouse, St. Louis, Missouri; from a c. 1915 postcard.

References

External links

EARTHFAST ARCHITECTURE IN EARLY MAINE

{{Authority control Building engineering History of construction New France French-Canadian culture in the United States French-American culture in Missouri Missouri culture French colonial architecture Foundations (buildings and structures) ja:掘立柱

History

Poteaux-en-terre

Gallery of poteaux-en-terre

See also

References

External links