prehistoric settlements
Early human habitations
Prehistoric settlements are places where humans lived before the development of writing systems—camps, villages, or towns known only through archaeological evidence rather than written records.
The term appears in archaeology and anthropology: Excavations revealed prehistoric settlements along the river valley.
Such sites range from temporary hunter-gatherer camps to permanent agricultural communities.
- cave dwellingsHabitations within natural rock formations
- rock sheltersNatural stone overhangs providing cover
- stone toolsShaped rocks for tasks
- bone toolsImplements fashioned from skeletons
- pottery shardsBroken ceramic fragments
fire pits · burial mounds · river valleys · tells · communal living · clan gatherings · food storage · hunting-gathering · wild game · grinding stones · subsistence farming · postholes · ceremonial rituals · seasonal migration · Neolithic period · Paleolithic era · trade networks · coastal regions
prehistoric settlementsmodern cities
Contemporary large urban areas
urban centers · megacities · smart cities · space colonies · global cities