Ancient Houses

Lake Dwellings
Lake dwellings are houses erected atop wooden pilings on the shores of European Alpine lakes between the Neolithic and Iron Ages.

Cliff Dwellings
The term "Cliff dwellings" is a type of ancient house analagous to the apartment block, and built by the Anasazi culture at such places as Mesa Verde, Colorado in the United States.

Desert Castles
Desert castles are an ancient house type of Islamic fortification built during the earliest days of Islamic expansion, in the 8th century AD.

Dugout Dwellings
Dugouts were a kind of housing used by European pioneers as first homes as they established their farmsteads in the northern middle west of the United States. Archaeologist Donald Linebaugh excavated a dugout dwelling built in 1870, assisted by descendants of the Norwegian pioneers who built it.

Dugouts and Dugout Dwellings
A photo essay describing the excavations in Minnesota at a 19th century dugout dwelling.

Earthlodges
An earthlodge is a type of ancient house built by the Middle Missouri Tradition people of the North American mid-continent.

Enclosed Settlements
Enclosed settlements are a type of ancient house group found around the world at different periods.

Gressbakken House
Gressbakken houses are a type of semi-subterranean house which were built between 5000-1800 BC bu maritime hunter-gatherers on the arctic coasts of Norway and Russia.

Hill Forts
Hill forts in archaeology describe ancient houses in villages built with defensive structures such as enclosures, moats, or ramparts.

House Hunting: The Archaeology of Ancient Houses
Having a home--a place to be protected from the weather or your enemies--is a long-held need for Homo sapiens. This article is a guide to how ancient house construction has changed through the ages, from an archaeological standpoint.

Kiva
A kiva is a special purpose ceremonial buildings used by ancient Puebloan people in the American southwest, still in use among contemporary puebloan people, where communities reunite to perform rituals and ceremonies.

Mammoth Bone Dwellings
A mammoth bone dwelling is a very early type of housing used by hunter gatherers in central Europe during the Late Pleistocene and constructed substantially of the bones and tusks of ancient mammoths.

Oppida
Oppida is the word given to the archaeological remains of fortified settlements throughout Europe by archaeologists, from a word used by Julius Caesar.

Tipis and Tipi Rings
Tipis were conical tents constructed of animal hide and used by Plains Indian peoples during prehistory.

Pit House
A pit house (also spelled pithouse) is a type of dwelling that was excavated partly into the earth, from a few inches to more than three feet.

Ancient Houses: History for Kids
A description and pictures of some of the ancient houses used throughout history, from History for Kids.