Establishing shelter outside of a cave or rockshelter is one of the oldest inventions of humans. These are the types of ancient houses built by our ancestors.
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 are an ancient house type of Islamic fortification built during the earliest days of Islamic expansion, in the 8th century AD.
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.
A photo essay describing the excavations in Minnesota at a 19th century dugout dwelling.
An earthlodge is a type of ancient house built by the Middle Missouri Tradition people of the North American mid-continent.
Enclosed settlements are a type of ancient house group found around the world at different periods.
Hill forts in archaeology describe ancient houses in villages built with defensive structures such as enclosures, moats, or ramparts.
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.
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 is the word given to the archaeological remains of fortified settlements throughout Europe by archaeologists, from a word used by Julius Caesar.
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.
A description and pictures of some of the ancient houses used throughout history, from History for Kids.
