Hut

The Stone Age hut is the first deliberate act of architecture in human history — a structure built not found, shaped to fit the needs of its occupants rather than simply occupied by chance. Neolithic builders bent green branches into a dome, lashed them with sinew or bark strips, and layered the frame with leaves, rushes, or scraped animal hides until the interior held warmth through a cold night. Excavations at Ohalo II in Israel and Mezhirich in Ukraine reveal postholes, hearth scatters, and floor plans that prove these were not improvised shelters but planned dwellings repeated season after season. The hut allowed the tribe to remain in a productive area rather than following game indefinitely. In the game it increases your population capacity, enabling you to support more workers and fighters. Build several in quick succession at the start — population is the single resource that unlocks every other.