Archaeologists have discovered a residential complex of Stone Age structures in France. Reported by Cambridge University.
During the Neolithic period, west-central France was inhabited by people who built many megalithic monuments such as mounds and dolmens. Archaeologists have long sought the homes of those who erected these monuments and other household buildings.
Now Vincent Ard and his colleagues have identified the first known housing estate that belonged to some of Europe’s first megalithic builders. The Le Peu archaeological site was first discovered during aerial photographs in 2011. Now scientists have identified a fence surrounding the “farm” – several wooden buildings dating back to the 5th millennium BC.
This makes them the first residential complex in the region to be built by contemporaries of the creators of the oldest wooden buildings and megalithic monuments. At least three houses with a length of about 13 meters were found. They were piled up on a small hill and surrounded by a fence. Despite the fence, all the buildings in Le Peu were burned around 4400 BC. The scientists note that this hill offers a view of the Tusson mounds, so hypothetically the inhabitants of Le Peu may have been involved in its construction.
However, it was probably the burning that prevented further use of the settlement and kept it unchanged until today.