post-and-lintel architecture

A construction technique characterized by a horizontal beam that is placed over, and supported by, two vertical posts. Also called post-and-beam or trabeated architecture, this method is commonly used to support windows and doors, in addition to the creation of simple free-standing structures (such as those at Stonehenge in England). Post-and-lintel structures are restrained in the amount of weight they can support, and the length of the beam limits the distance between the two support posts. Such limitations led the Romans to develop the arch. Photo from New York City, New York, 2018. (Ambrose, 2008)