The remains of a prehistoric structure thought to be the oldest dwelling yet found on the Isle of Man will, says Manx National Heritage archaeologist Andrew Johnson, 'revise our understanding of prehistoric life' on the Island.

At an estimated 8,000 years old, the dwelling is 3,000 years older than Stonehenge and dates back to the time when the first human settlers occupied the Island after the end of the Ice Age.

The dig has revealed the foundations of a wooden shelter, 6-7 metres in diameter, and holes created by a circle of supporting posts.

Within and around the structure - located east of the Airport, on the site earmarked for a new taxiway - have been found thousands of worked flints, hazelnut shells and fragments of charred branches.

The discovery has caused immense excitement in the archaeological community because it challenges what Andrew Johnson describes as the 'received wisdom' that people from this time - the Mesolithic Period - were essentially nomadic, their movements across the landscape determined by the search for food.

The substantial nature of the structure, and the wealth of materials discovered on the site, suggest that a group of people, possibly an extended family, settled here for some time.

Mr Johnson believes that the nature of the structure has parallels with the teepee of native American Indians and the traditional yurts developed by Mongol tribes.

As there were no fabrics at this time, he says, the wooden frame may have been completed by animal skin, wattle or woven brushwood.

While organic materials such as bone and leather will have long rotted away in the soil, charcoal, coarse stone - used as anvils and pounders - and flints have survived to provide vital clues as to the settlers' way of life.

The dig has been carried out by a team from Oxford Archaelogy North, who have so far recorded approximately 15,000 pieces of worked flint.

These and all other findings will now undergo rigorous analysis to obtain a more precise assessment of their age.

Gemma Jones of Oxford Archaeology North comments 'We have uncovered deposits to a depth of 30-40 centimetres. These will now be returned to our Cambridge office for further study.

'I feel very privileged to have worked on this site.

'It could potentially have a massive impact on our academic understanding, of what we believe life to have been in the Mesolithic period'.

The dig has been undertaken as fieldwork for the runway extension - which is still on schedule to be finished by the end of 2009 - approaches completion.

Airport Director Ann Reynolds reports that the archaeological team and project contractor Balfour Beatty have co-operated happily on the site, and that the dig has not impeded the progress of the groundworks.

The Ronaldsway area has long been identified as a place of considerable historical significance.

In the 1980s, Professor Peter Woodman of the University of Cork excavated a nearby site which yielded similar, but less well-preserved findings.

The current archaeological works first got underway in May 2008, following the discovery of a 3,500 year old Bronze Age village shortly after work on the runway project began.

Both the runway extension and the archaeological works are being undertaken by the Department of Transport, with Balfour Beatty as the main contractor.

Pictured: Excavation of the Mesolithic dwelling, showing the ring of postholes around the sunken interior.  Photograph by Oxford Archaeology North.