House proud hunter-gatherers.
Archaeological evidence from the world-famous Mesolithic site of Star Carr in North Yorkshire has shown that hunter-gatherers likely kept an orderly home by creating "zones" for particular domestic activities.
The research team from the University of York and the University of Newcastle, looked at microscopic evidence from the use of stone tools found inside three structures—potentially cone-like in shape or domed—dating to over 11,000 years ago at the Star Carr site.
They found that there was a range of activities that were likely to have taken place inside the "home," including wood, bone, antler, plant, hide, meat and fish related work. The researchers then plotted out spatial patterns for these activities to pin-point where within the dwelling these activities might have occurred.
Dr. Jess Bates, from the University of York's Department of Archaeology said, "We found that there were distinct areas for different types of activity, so the messy activity involving butchery, for example, was done in what appears to be a designated space, and separate to the 'cleaner' tasks such as crafting bone and wooden objects, tools or jewelry.
"This was surprising as
hunter-gatherers are known for being very mobile, as they would have to travel out to find food, and yet they have a very organized approach to creating not just a house but a sense of home.
"This new work, on these very early forms of houses suggests that these dwellings didn't just serve a practical purpose in the sense of having a shelter from the elements, but that certain social norms of a home were observed that are not massively dissimilar to how we organize our homes today."
Previous work has also shown that there is evidence that hunter-gatherers kept their dwellings clean, as well as orderly, with indications that sweeping of the inside of the structure took place. ...
https://phys.org/news/2024-07-hunter-home-earliest-british-archaeological.html