Wattle-and-Daub

In the next few podcasts, the Mesolithic, Neolithic A, and Neolithic B we'll talk about some of the houses that the various cultures in these periods lived in. One of the types of houses is a wattle-and-daub home. So, since we're going to be mentioning that the Neolithic Germans of the Rössen Culture or the Linearbandkeramic Culture lived in wattle-and-daub homes I thought it might be a good idea to talk about what wattle-and-daub is.

Well wattle is basically just wood that's been woven together. The daub is a combination of some materials like clay, soil, sand, straw and animal poo. The daub is applied to the wattle, white washed and voila, you've got a fully functional wattle-and-daub home.

Wattle-and-daub is making a bit of a comeback. This unlikely renaissance is occurring because of modernity's fascination with sustainability. As green becomes more and more en vogue it is possible that we might begin to see more and more wattle-and-daub structures in our busy and modern metropolises. This could give some cities a bit of quaint charm. Or it could make the buildings look entirely out of place. We'll see what happens in the future.