The Neolithic long house was a long, narrow timber dwelling built by the Old Europeans in Europe beginning at least as early as 6000 to 5000 BC. They first appeared in central Europe in connection with the early Neolithic cultures like the Linear Pottery culture or Cucuteni culture. This type of architecture represents the largest free-standing structure in the world in its era. Long houses are present across numerous regions and time periods in the archaeological record.
The long house was a rectangular structure, 5.5 to 7 m (18 to 23 ft) wide, of variable length, around 20 m (66 ft) up to 45 m (148 ft). Outer walls were wattle and daub, sometimes alternating with split logs, with pitched, thatched roofs, supported by rows of poles, three across. The exterior walls would have been quite short beneath the large roof. They were solid and massive, oak posts being preferred. Clay for the daub was dug from pits near the house, that were then used for storage. Houses in the urban settlements had two stories, with up to three or even four floors on each story. Some Linear Pottery culture houses were occupied for as long as 30 years.
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