Temporary Palaces: The Great House in European Prehistory

The Great Houses of the prehistoric and early medieval periods were enormous structures whose forms were modeled on those of domestic dwellings. Most were built of wood rather than stone; they were used over comparatively short periods; they were frequently replaced in the same positions; and some were associated with exceptional groups of artifacts. Their construction made considerable demands on human labor and approached the limits of what was possible at the time. They seem to have play...