An excerpt from Blaine Brownell’s new book, Material Strategies: Innovative Applications in Architecture, examines mineral use.
Earthen minerals were some of the first materials that early hominids used to make shelter and tools. Many ancient myths and religions associated earth and stone with human flesh and bone, respectively—minerals of varying consistency were seen as symbolically connected to the body and its dual characteristics of suppleness and fortitude. Archaeological records indicate active manipulation of stone during the prehistoric period known as the Stone Age, which accounted for more than 99 percent of human existence. The transition from the Stone Age into the Copper and Bronze ages roughly marks the beginning of recorded history. [...]
