Where is the World’s Oldest Village?

History begins around 3500 B.C., the date of the oldest surviving written records. But long before written history began, man was leaving his mark on earth in other ways. We know, for instance, that a group of prehistoric men lived in a village in France some 120,000 years ago!

In 1965, the remains of this age-old village were unearthed in the present-day city of Nice. The village’s huts had, of course, long since vanished. But scientists were able to determine the shape of the structures by examining their outlines on the ground.

The ancient huts were made of wooden stakes set in the earth, with pebble-lined fireplaces attached to each hut. The holes made by these stakes form the outline of the huts on the ground. The village consisted of about 20 huts, each up to 50 feet long. So far, these huts are the oldest known buildings on earth!