Have you ever asked, “What was the first house made?” It is, isn’t it, an interesting question? Whether we realize it or not, homes have now become an intimate part of our lives, and are often taken for granted. But the origins of housing has a fascinating story — one that’s intimately connected to the evolution of humanity, cultural development, and survival against the odds.
To know when the first house was built is about more than dating an old structure in history. It allows to understand the transition of humans from being nomadic into becoming settled communities, and the principles of civilization. We go from caves to mud-brick houses, and every step of this process highlights how our ancestors learned to adapt to their environment.’
Sheltering Ideas from Old Times
The First Houses: Humanity’s Earliest Shelter
A long time ago, before humans constructed long lasting homes, they depended on temporary housing to survive. While data analysis is fine, you ultimately have to end up in the PALEOLITHIC PERIOD (the Old Stone Age) of hunter-gatherer groups where natural formations of caves or other landforms provide protection from the cold and carnivores. These early shelters were not built, but found, which is indicative of how resourceful humans were with their environment.
So have archaeologists found evidence of simple shelters made from natural materials. These were often constructed from branches, animal hides, or stones and were intended to be easily removed as communities traveled from location to location in search of food.
Earliest Signs of Construction
Did you know that some of the earliest archeological evidence of human construction stretches back nearly 1.8 million years to Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania? Researchers found 2,000-year-old stone circles that likely functioned as windbreaks for early humans. Also, at Terra Amata in France — the remains of huts from 400,000 BC. These homes were probably constructed of wooden posts, animal hides and stones.
Home evolved from simply survival as man transitioned from a nomadic lifestyle to a more settled one. It was a step toward permanent housing — the first of three such moves.
The First Permanent Houses
Zawi Chemi Shanidar: The First Settlements
Another of the first settled communities developed in the Zagros Mountains (now Iraq) around 9000 BC. The settlement, called Zawi Chemi Shanidar, had houses made from boulders taken from a river, which was more robust and long-lasting than temporary homes. It was a monumental step in human creativity, one that led humans to construct things to last through the ages.
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Eat, Pray, Love and the Invention of Sun-Dried Bricks
In the Levant, community figures began erecting grand new complexes, the best known of which is Jericho, by 8000 BC. Sun-dried bricks, made of clay and straw baked in the sun, were used for the construction of houses. These houses included clay cooking ovens, from which one could tell the architecture was adapting to the requirements of domestic life.
Catal Huyuk: The First City to be Found
Jump to 6500 BC, and we are in Catal Huyuk, one of the biggest Neolithic settlements in what is today Turkey. The houses were mud-brick and had roof entrances, not doors. People could walk over the roofs of their neighbors! The walls of Catal Huyuk were also painted murals, providing insight into the cultural and artistic expressions of early humans.
House and Home: Evolution of Housing Across Civilizations
Sumerian Civilization
When it comes to architectural diversity, the Sumerians were among the first. Between 4000 to 2000 BC they built two-story courtyard buildings for the upper class while poorer citizens lived in small mud huts. These homes indicated the rising sophistication of human societies, where residences began to correlate with social status.
Indus Valley Civilization
By 2500 BC, housing would reach another level with the emergence of the Indus Valley Civilization in what is now Pakistan and India. Mohenjo-Daro and other cities featured streets laid out in a grid pattern, brick homes and even drainage systems. These innovations underscore how central urban planning became to the housing dynamic.
Minoan Palaces
The Minoans of Crete (c 2000 BC) are famous for their extravagant palaces, including the palace at Knossos. These structures boasted light wells, frescoes and even flushing toilets, evidence of how far humanity had traveled in terms of comfort and sophistication.
Bronze Age and Beyond
Stone and Wattle-Daub Houses
With the Bronze Age (about 4000 BC) came the first stone houses and wattle-and-daub huts scattered all over Europe. The latter consisted of weaving wooden branches into walls, and building them up with mud or clay. These houses were sturdy, cheap and simple to construct — ideal for a life spent farming.
Round Wooden Huts
Parts of Europe built round wooden huts with thatched roofs. They were rudimentary structures, but they were afforded with great insulation, which suited it well for frigid temperatures. They speak to how housing responded to both environmental and cultural requirements.
The Key Factors That Impact Early Housing
Materials Used
Early humans whittled down local resources to construct shelter. Here’s a rundown on materials used: | Material | Examples Mammoth bones | Siberian shelters | | River boulders | Zawi Chemi Shanidar | | Mud bricks | Jericho and Catal Huyuk | | Sun-dried bricks | Mesopotamian houses | | Wattle and daub | Bronze Age Europe |
Climate and Geography
Housing styles were heavily influenced by the environment. Thick walls and insulation were adapted in colder climates, while open-air architecture dominated warmer regions, such as Mesopotamia, for example.
Social Structure
During ancient times, social hierarchies often dictated housing conditions. Nobles lived in grand houses that had courtyards, and commoners lived in small, simple homes.
How the World’s First Homes Changed Humanity
Its earliest residences set the stage for contemporary architecture. Mud bricks influenced concrete, and urban planning methods such as those at Mohenjo-Daro are still studied today. But places like Catal Huyuk and Mohenjo-Daro are preserved as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a testament to the brilliance of our ancestors.
These early homes represent the dawn of human civilization, of people gathering together to create communities of shared material wealth and enduring legacies.
Common Questions (FAQs)
How old is the oldest house?
The earliest evidence of constructed shelter is 1.8 million years ago (Olduvai Gorge), but permanent houses emerged in places like Zawi Chemi Shanidar around 9000 BC.
What materials did humans use to make their earliest homes?
The materials varied from natural stones, mud bricks and animal hides to mammoth bones in colder areas.
How were early houses different in various areas?
(Sun-dried bricks were a common material used for houses in Mesopotamia, while the interiors of European homes would often be made of stone or wattle-and-daub, depending on region.)
Conclusion
With structures ranging from primitive caves to ornate mud-brick homes, the evolution of humanity’s first homes was propelled by innovation, survival and community. These homes weren’t merely places to stay — they seeded civilisations, influencing the way people lived, worked and interacted with one another.
So this season, when you walk into your house, take a moment to appreciate all the thousands of years of evolution to end up where we are today. Visit sites that are thousands of years old, walk into history, and be amazed at what our ancestors had built!
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