EARLY BRITAIN Flashcards
(9 cards)
THE STONE AGE
The first people to live in Britain were hunter-gatherers who hunted animals. They came to Britain via a Land Bridge which connected mainland Europe to Britain. Around 10,000 years ago Britain was permanently separated from this channel. The 1st farmers arrived around 6000 years ago most likely from South-East Europe. They built houses, tombs and monuments
THE STONE AGE
Two famous ones still standing today are: • Stonehenge in Wiltshire – used for seasonal ceremonies • Skara Brae which is well-preserved prehistoric village in Orkney, which is an island off the coast of mainland Scotland
THE BRONZE AGE
After the Stone Age was the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age started around 4000 years ago and as the name suggests, it was a period when people started using bronze. People lived in roundhouses and they buried their dead in round barrows.
THE IRON AGE
Following the Bronze Age was the Iron Age. This was the period when people started making tools and weapons out of iron. People of the Iron Age also minted the first coins in Britain and inscribed the names of Iron Age kings on these coins. They continued to live in roundhouses and these were grouped into settlements called hillforts, which they sometimes defended. Maiden Castle is an impressive hillfort that can still be seen today. The language spoken during this period was part of the Celtic family
THE ROMANS
In 55 BC, Julius Caesar led a Roman invasion of Britain. This invasion was unsuccessful. About 100 years later in AD 43, Emperor Claudius led a new Roman invasion which was successful. During this invasion there was resistance from native British tribes - one of the most famous was from a tribal leader known as Boudicca - she is still remembered today and there is a statue of her on Westminster Bridge by Houses of Parliament. The Romans however never conquered the North of Britain. Emperor Hadrian built a wall to keep out the Picts, who were ancestors of the Scottish people. Hadrian’s Wall had many forts. The forts of Housesteads and Vindolanda can still be seen today. The Romans built roads, public buildings, created a structure of law and introduced new plants and animals. The Romans left in AD 410 after being in Britain for around 400 years
THE ANGLO-SAXONS
Following the Romans leaving, Britain was invaded again by tribes from Northern Europe known as the Jutes, Angles and Saxons. By AD 600 Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were established in Britain. Sutton Hoo is a famous burial place for one Anglo-Saxon king who is buried with his treasure and armour in a ship under a mound of earth
THE ANGLO-SAXONS
Christian missionaries arrived in the 3rd and 4th centuries to preach about Christianity. The most famous of these missionaries were:
• St Patrick & St Columba from Ireland
• St Augustine from Rome who later became the first Archbishop of Canterbury
THE VIKINGS
The Vikings came from Denmark, Norway and Sweden in AD 789. The Vikings posed a threat to the Anglo-Saxons. The Anglo-Saxons therefore united under King Alfred the Great to defeat the Vikings. In the North, the continuous threat of Viking invasion also caused the people there to unite under Kenneth McAlpine. The term ‘Scotland’ was used to describe that country.
Anglo-Saxon kings continued to rule England except for a short period when Danish kings ruled. The first of these Danish Kings was Cnut (Canute).
THE NORMAN CONQUEST
William, Duke of Normandy, from Northern France successfully invaded Britain. He was therefore called William the Conqueror. He defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and this marks the last successful foreign invasion of Britain. This battle is commemorated on an impressive 70 metre embroidery called the Bayeux Tapestry which can still be seen in France today. William the Conqueror sent his men all over England to document people’s names and what they owned e.g. land and animals. This was compiled into what is called the Domesday Book which still exists today.
