Archaeological techniques have improved over the past century, and much more information about how people used to live is available to use today. In many cases, archaeologists can describe with some confidence how a prehistoric house was built, what it was made of, and what the life was like for the people who lived there.
Project Ideas
- Make a model of a village, based on one of the villages listed below.
- Find out about the culture of the village was like. What was the society like? How did people survive in the winters? What did they eat?
- Make a timeline of of the history and prehistory of the cultural group.
Prehistoric Villages
Here are some links to get you started. You'll have to go visit your local library to do more research.
- Types of Ancient Houses
- Mount Sandel (Mesolithic Ireland)
- Cerén (El Salvador)
- Strangways Sheep Station (Australia)
- Pasagardae (Mesopotamian Iran)
- Banpo (Neolithic China)
- Ribe (Viking Denmark)
Visiting an Ancient Village
All over the world there are living history farms and villages, places where museums or historical societies have used archaeological and historical information to reconstruct whole farmsteads and towns. If you live near one such place, you can visit yourself; and if you don't, you can contact a living history park for information on how to build your own model.
