The History of Architectural Models
Central watchtower, 1st–early 3rd century. China, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220 A.D.). Earthenware with green lead glaze; H. 104.1 cm (41 in.), W. 57.5 cm (22 5/8 in.), D. 29.8 cm (11 3/4 in.). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Dr. and Mrs. John C. Weber Gift, 1984 (1984.397a, b)
I could have spent weeks re-writing my research but what’s the point when it was originally written by those more eloquent than me.
In brief models or more specifically archaeological models of buildings have been used for thousands of years. They were used to accompany people into the afterlife, in the sense that they were intended to provide comfortable accommodations for the deceased in the great beyond. I might take some with me when I go too!
Model of Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower in 1418
In Europe during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, architectural models were, as they still are now, an important tool in the collaboration between architects and patrons. An architect's scale representation of a structure was a means to work out ideas, show patrons design possibilities, provide a platform for negotiations, or sometimes even to function as guides for builders and masons.
For further reading I’d suggest the following links: