Archaeologists discover Britain's oldest house

Archaeologists have discovered Britain's oldest house at a Stone Age site in North Yorkshire, pre-dating the previously oldest known dwelling by 500 years.

A team of archaeologists from the Universities of Manchester and York have revealed that the Stone Age remains discovered at a site in North Yorkshire contain Britain's earliest surviving house. It dates back to at least 8500 BC, when Britain was still part of continental Europe. The house predates what was previously Britain's oldest known dwelling at Howick, Northumberland, by at least 500 years. A circular dwelling, it is 3.5 metres wide and was held up by a circle of wooden posts, the decayed organic matter in its central hollow suggesing a possible roof of thatched reeds, as well as prehistoric attempts to provide creature comforts. Dr Chantal Conneller from the University of Manchester told The Guardian, "This changes our ideas of the lives of the first settlers to move back into Britain after the end of the last Ice Age. We used to think they moved around a lot and left little evidence. Now we know they built large structures and were very attached to particular places in the landscape." The research team discovered the structure next to an ancient lake at Star Carr, near Scarborough, a site which has been compared to Stonehenge in its archaeological importance. They also discovered antler head-dresses, likely used in ritual ceremonies, and a large wooden platform by the lake. Made of timbers which have been split and hewn, it is the earliest evidence of carpentry in Europe. The site was inhabited by hunter gatherers from just after the last ice age, for a period of between 200 and 500 years. The research has been made possible by funding from the Natural Environment Research Council, the British Academy, and from English Heritage who are about to schedule the site as a National Monument . The Vale of Pickering Research Trust has also provided support for the excavation works. English Heritage recently entered into a management agreement with the farmers who own the land at Star Carr to help protect the archaeological remains.