Research on prehistoric 凸-shaped house remains on the Loess Plateau

Abstract The 凸-shaped house remains first appeared in the Guanzhong Basin during the late Yangshao period and became a popular form of architecture in the Loess Plateau during the Longshan period. The form usually consists of an inner room and a front hall connecting to an entranceway. The emergence of the protruding front hall is closely related to the appearance of late Yangshao cave dwellings, where they serve an important role in maintaining the architectural stability of the dwelling. Across the millennium ranging from the late Yangshao to the late Longshan, this architectural structure gradually transformed from a pragmatic-functional attribute into an important cultural symbol.