Prehistoric BritainThe Stone Age
Glacial MovementsEarly InhabitantsTechniques
The Bronze AgeMore ImmigrationArt & ArchitectureStone Circles & Chalk
Drawings
The Iron AgeTrade with the MainlandTechniques Developed
The CeltsHillforts and Tribal
SocietyLater CentralizationReligion and Women
Lindow Man, 1st cent. CE; British Museum
Stone Age Britain: to c. 2400 BCEGlacial Movements
Ebb & Flow of the Ice SheetEnd of the Ice Age c. 9/10,000 BCEGrasses, Trees, WildlifeChannel Separates c. 6/7,000 BCE
Early Inhabitants750,000 BCE: From the MainlandHomo Sapiens: 30-40,000 BCEPermanent Settlements: 12,000 BCE
TechniquesHunting, Gathering; Grains (wheat)Beginnings of Farming, MiningVarious Burial Practices; Earth Mounds
Example: Skara Brae, c. 3200 – 2200 BCE
Skara Brae, Orkney Isle
Bronze Age Britain: c. 2400 – c. 700 BCE
ImmigrationBeaker Peoples (Pottery)
ArtMetalwork in Copper, TinHand Tools; Nature
ArchitectureCommunal & Individual DwellingWattle & Daub; Thatch
Stone Circles (over 900)Henge: Circular Earthwork with Banks, Ditches, & High Table
Chalk DrawingsNatural Surroundings
Settlements along the Thames
The Iron Age: c. 700 – 1st cent. BCEMainland Trade Patterns
Gaul (France)MediterraneanMinerals, Grain, SlavesWine, Pottery, MetalworkCoinage in SE by 20 BCE
Techniques DevelopedSmelting/Extracting IronHarder Substance; DurableFarming and PlowingBeans, Peas, Flax; Grinding GrainWar Chariots and Battle Axes
Examples: Battersea Shield, Waterloo Helmet
Smelting Iron
The Celts: After 1000 BCETribal Society & Hillforts
Tribes Related to Gauls & GermansKinship Groups; CommunityHillforts: 3k at least; Power
Trade, Seasonal Activity
Later CentralizationFrom Clans to “Monarchy”Tribes Combining
Catuvellauni, Iceni, BrigantesLowland Settlements
Camulodunum, Verulamium
Religion and WomenPriest Class of Druids (Gaulish)Nature & Seasons; Pantheism; SacrificePriestesses and Queens (Boudicca)
Maiden Castle, Dorset, c. 600 BCE
From Stones & Bones to Axe-wielding Celts
Waves of MigrationClimatic Changes
Permanent SettlementFarmingMining
Tribal Societies vs. “Britain”Rivaling ClansHierarchical StructureCombination; DominationTrade and CommerceReligious & Seasonal LifeImportance of Water
Rivers, Bogs
Snettisham Torc, Norfolk, c. 75 BCEAbout 1 Kilogram of Gold and Silver