Paleolithic Houses: Were They Nomads, Where Did They Live And More

Ever wondered what it was like for Paleolithic people to live in a cave or a tent?

Living in a cave or a tent is a fun idea today, but for early men, this was their home. Let's step into history and take a closer look at what Paleolithic dwellings and life in the Stone Age were like.

The Paleolithic era was from around 30,000-10,000 BC, just after the Ice Age. It lasted till the ice retreated and early humans, known as the Homo habilis, started farming and using metals. The Paleolithic Age was followed by the early stages of the Neolithic period.

Life in the Paleolithic period was quite basic, and there are little to no written records of that time. The society was centered around hunting and gathering, and people led nomadic lifestyles. They used very primitive stone tools and raw materials. Hence the name, the Stone Age.

Along with stones, Homo sapiens of that era also used tools made of bones, wood, and leather. Unfortunately, most of these tools no longer exist. The knapped stone tools are mostly what remains.

Paleolithic men and women gathered materials to make their shelters and clothes and hunted wild animals for their food. They also foraged for wild plants but had not yet started planting their own seeds during this time period.

The men typically took on the responsibility of hunting while the women foraged and gathered. As time progressed, the lifestyles and dwellings of these hunter-gatherers became more sophisticated, and they began building house-like structures!

If you are loving this article, then after finishing it, do check out more fun facts about Paleolithic Age toolsand Paleolithic Age inventions.

Dwellings And Shelters

Hunter-gatherers of this area chose the base for their living accommodations as ones that could be easily defended against rivals, predators, and inclement weather. Most of the locations that have been discovered were believed to be on low hilltops near lakes, rivers, and streams.

For example, archeological findings in Ukraine's Dnepr River have revealed mammoth bone settlements located on terraced lands within and above a ravine overlooking the river.

Such a location would have been a strategic choice since it would be near the path of animal herds migrating between the riverside and the steppe plains. It is also important to note that such locations would give the settlements easy access to clean water.

Unfortunately, many of these Stone-Age campsites have been destroyed with time. The flow of water had eroded large sections of the landscape and drastically changed it. Whatever remains of the dwellings were discovered have been found after years of careful excavation.

Caves and open campsites were probably the first examples of Paleolithic dwellings. There was little that resembled a formal structure of a house. As time passed, their homes did evolve. They began constructing temporary wood huts. Some of the oldest constructions were within caves. Some Paleolithic period dwellings were even built with the bones of animals.

At times, the huts and tents were large enough to house several families, while in other cases, there were five or six large huts arranged together in a kind of camp. Each of these huts could house multiple families, and hence, a group of these huts could house many more families than a single large hut.

It's one of the earliest examples of human society.

This is important when you note that the population of the time was very different from the population today. According to some estimates, there was no more than a person per 1 sq mi (2.5 sq km).

Tents And Huts

Caves and rock shelters weren't always available and easy to find. However, humans needed a way to stay sheltered and protected from the cold winds, sunny afternoons, and other natural elements. Thus, they had to build some sort of shelter for protection.

Tents were the simplest kind of structure that humans discovered in the Stone Age. Some examples of Paleolithic tents still exist, but they aren't very common. It is easier for stone huts to have survived through the years as compared to animal skins and sticks.

Archeologists in Siberia have discovered tent-like structures constructed with mammoth bones. This was quite a big tent that could house several families at once.

Mammoth tusks were used to support the roof while the thigh bones and skulls were used to construct the tent walls. The tent had three small hearths made of stone rings that could be lit to keep people warm through the winter.

Similar structures belonging to the Stone Age have been found in archeological digs in Dolni Vestonice in the Czech Republic. These huts are believed to date between 23,000 and 12,000 BC.

The huts were built with several bones and tusks, arranged in a circular structure with a hearth in the center. Some were open to the sky. Large pits filled with bone fragments and the remains of stone tools have also been found near the remains of these tent huts.

Some tents of the Upper Paleolithic Era were quite similar in structure to tents seen today. They had a single vertical post in the center, and animal skins draped outwards to create a ceiling.

Marks on the ground that have been found at such campsites seem to prove that the conical, teepee-like structure. These skirts were weighed down by rocks.

At a later time, it is believed that the rocks were replaced by animal antlers. There is also evidence to suggest that the floors were covered with a layer of moss and reeds.

Temporary Wood Hut

As paleolithic human culture evolved, Stone-Age dwellings and rock shelters evolved too. Paleolithic shelters like tents were turned into huts.

It is believed that about 50,000 years ago, a group of Paleolithic settlers camped around a lake in southern France. They built a long, narrow hut to house themselves in.

The hut was built on a stone foundation with a flat stone threshold at either end for the doors. Tall vertical posts stood along the middle of the structure, with walls made of twigs and sticks.

A downward-sloping roof supported by the central posts and walls was made with sticks and straws. The finish was quite raw, nothing like the well-cut logs used to build wooden huts today.

A combination of organic matter and ash was used as the floor of these huts. The hearth outside was built to serve as the kitchen, while a smaller stone ring inside was lit to keep people warm.

Some of the Upper Paleolithic period huts found in southern France measured between 26.2 and 49.2 ft. (8–15 m) in length and 13.1-19.7 ft. (4–6 m) in width. They were rather oval in shape. It's interesting to note that these old stone-age huts cannot be considered as true houses since they were not permanent and could be easily abandoned.

In eastern Europe, temperatures could get quite harsh in the winters as compared to those of northern Europe. Hence, the late Paleolithic and early Neolithic houses in this region look slightly different.

A shallow depression was dug out of the ground and a canopy roof made of animal hides was then raised on central posts. Similar open-air houses with pit depressions and stone rings have also been found in Grotte du Reine, France. These were built partly of stone and partly of wood and bone.

Paleolithic Settlement

Back in the Paleolithic age, private properties did not exist. Men and women lived together in groups of 20–30 people.

Some settlements had up to 100 people. The typical Paleolithic society relied on mobility as its main survival strategy. They did not farm.

These humans hunted wild animals and needed access to large hunting grounds in order to find their food. Once the hunting opportunities dwindled in the area, they needed to move on. This made it impractical for them to build more long-term settlements for living or religious purposes in the Paleolithic era.

Rock Shelter

When you talk of Paleolithic shelters, caves are the first type of dwelling that comes to mind. The humans of that era lived mostly in caves, and these are definitely the most famous examples of Paleolithic dwellings. But, in fact, the number of caves inhabited in proportion to the supposed population of the time is quite low.

Nonetheless, what has been found of the Paleolithic caves shows quite a few interesting patterns. Paleolithic cave paintings depict the lifestyle of the time. As a natural formation, caves often had water dripping down from their ceilings.

To protect themselves from this dripping water, Paleolithic settlers often built a kind of shelter or roof within the cave. Some caves also had a canopy cave ceiling and curtains made of animal skin. The rear end of these caves was typically used as a place to deposit garbage.

Some of these caves were also treated as places for Paleolithic societies to gather for ceremonies focused on their religious beliefs or for ritualistic purposes.

These 'homes' were heated with central hearth fires. These fires burned for years and left behind a large amount of coal and ash. This was used to decorate the walls and record their daily lives.

Paleolithic humans were often presented as stick figures. Rock art of the time also had rough paintings of bison, deer, and mammoths.

This could have been a reference to their pagan religious beliefs. The most famous of all the Paleolithic cave paintings have been found in caves dotting Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain. It has also been found in caves belonging to the Paleolithic period across Asia, Africa, and other parts of Europe.

Another form of artistic expression is sculpture. Small sculptures, presumably of Venus, have been found by archeologists.

There have also been other examples of engraved stones found in places like the Blombos caves in South Africa. These stones were made of ochre and engraved with rough abstract patterns. Such discoveries have led modern archeologists and researchers to believe that Paleolithic people were capable of symbolic art as well as abstract art.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Paleolithic houses, then why not take a look at Paleolithic age facts or Paleolithic clothing.