Mesolithic Shelters

Archaeological evidence shows that humans have built shelters for thousands of years. Over the last 30 years I have explored early structures, and had the pleasure of building some of them on a mesolithic site at Culverwell, Portland. Some I have built as summer shelters on sites I have worked on.

This is a small selection of those builds.

This was one of the first I built on the Culverwell site. It had public access on open days, and in costume, I demonstrated early technologies.
This shape is known as a bender. It has a frame of hazel, and a covering of animal skins.
The shape of the oval base of this shelter has been found on a number of archaeological sites. It is free standing, i.e. no holes in the ground. It is covered in water reeds.