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Storage Pits Alain Testart

The origins of warehouses can be traced back to early civilizations that used storage pits to protect surplus food. Some of the earliest warehouse-like structures were Roman horrea - rectangular stone buildings with raised floors and overhanging roofs used to store grain and other goods. A substantial horrea complex in Rome contained 140 ground floor rooms covering over 21,000 square meters, demonstrating how large these early warehouses could be. In medieval times, merchants commonly kept goods in household storerooms but dedicated warehouses also existed near ports and trade hubs, such as the Venetian fondaci which combined warehouses with markets and lodging. Warehouses evolved during the industrial revolution to become more specialized structures adapted for new technologies and supply chain methods.

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88 views1 page

Storage Pits Alain Testart

The origins of warehouses can be traced back to early civilizations that used storage pits to protect surplus food. Some of the earliest warehouse-like structures were Roman horrea - rectangular stone buildings with raised floors and overhanging roofs used to store grain and other goods. A substantial horrea complex in Rome contained 140 ground floor rooms covering over 21,000 square meters, demonstrating how large these early warehouses could be. In medieval times, merchants commonly kept goods in household storerooms but dedicated warehouses also existed near ports and trade hubs, such as the Venetian fondaci which combined warehouses with markets and lodging. Warehouses evolved during the industrial revolution to become more specialized structures adapted for new technologies and supply chain methods.

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Loona Balloona
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The origins of the warehouse are difficult to pinpoint.

Early civilizations relied on storage


pits rather than large structures to protect seeds and surplus food. Sociologists like Alain
Testart have argued that these early storage techniques were essential to the evolution of
societies.[2]
Some of the earliest examples of warehouses that resemble the buildings of today are
Roman horrea. These were rectangular buildings, built of stone, with a raised ground floor and
overhanging roof to keep the walls cool and dry. Roman horrea were typically used to store grain,
but other consumables such as olive oil, wine, clothing and even marble were also stored inside.[3]
Though horrea were built throughout the Roman empire, some of the most studied examples are
found in or around Rome, particularly at Ostia, a harbor city that served ancient Rome.
The Horrea Galbae, a warehouse complex in the southern part of ancient Rome, demonstrates
that these buildings could be substantial, even by modern standards. The horrea complex
contained 140 rooms on the ground floor alone, covering an area of some 225,000 square feet
(21,000 m²).[4] As a point of reference, less than half of U.S. warehouses today are larger than
100,000 square feet (9290 m²).[5]
As attested by legislation concerning the levy of duties, medieval merchants across Europe
commonly kept goods in household storerooms, often on the ground floor or one or more storeys
below the ground.[6][7] However, dedicated warehouses could be found around ports and other
commercial hubs to facilitate overseas trade. Examples of these buildings include the Venetian
fondaci, which combined a palace, warehouse, market and living quarters for lodging
travelers.[8] A number of representative medieval warehouses can also be seen in King's Lynn,
U.K., where a complex of buildings, including dwelling-houses, shops, countinghouses and
warehouses, once served the Hanseatic League.[9]
During the industrial revolution, the function of warehouses evolved and became more
specialised. Some warehouses from the period are even considered architecturally significant,
such as Manchester's cotton warehouses. Always a building of function, in the past few decades
they have adapted to mechanisation, technological innovation and changes in supply chain
methods.

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