1. HOME IS WHERE THE HEARTH IS

During the Mesolithic period (around 10,000 to 6,000 years ago), humans were largely nomadic. They moved from place to place, hunting animals and foraging for food. But by the late Neolithic period people began to settle down, building some of the first homes and living in settled communities.

The remains of one such settlement can be traced just a few miles away from Stonehenge. Archaeologists have called this massive circular earthwork 'Durrington Walls', and it's thought that it was home to thousands of people who built and used Stonehenge.

This settlement contained many small square houses with central hearths and had walls made of interwoven stakes and chalk plaster ('wattle and daub'). We know from archaeological evidence that these houses contained comfy beds and other wooden furniture.

You can see reconstructions of these Neolithic houses at the Stonehenge visitor centre. Built using the tools and methods of the period, they give you a rare insight into Neolithic life.