What Did Prehistoric Houses Look Like?

How can we know what prehistoric houses looked like? Unfortunately, no prehistoric houses have survived to this day, so we must rely on the work of archaeologists who find their floor plans and other remains. These include traces of original post (column) structures – so-called post holes. Fire-hardened pieces of daub from walls, sometimes with preserved imprints of the internal wall structure, such as wattle. Sometimes daub may bear traces of whitewash or colored clay paints. Rarely, pieces of wooden structures are preserved. From these, we can determine the types of wood used, traces of surface treatment, and carpentry joints employed. From other prehistoric cultures, we know of ceramic models of houses or their schematic depictions. Additional information can be obtained by comparing with European historical and folk architecture, as well as ethnographic research among “more primitive” tribes