Stone Age to Iron Age – Overview and Depth Francis Pryor, Hilary Morris and Wessex Archaeology
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8000BC 6000BC 4000BC Mesolithic Britain becomes Neolithic Age begins an island Age begins 9000BC 8000BC 7000BC 6000BC 5000BC 4000BC 3000BC 2000BC 1000BC 0 1000AD 7600BC 8700BC 7000BC Howick Star Carr Cheddar House Man Timeline – Stone Age to Iron Age Stone Age to Iron Age – overview and depth Francis Pryor, Hilary Morris and Wessex Archaeology Introduction English prehistory, constructed; how villages operated; Stone Age to Iron Age covers from the Stone Age how inland and maritime transport around 10,000 years, between developed; how people defended to the Iron Age themselves. It would also be good the last Ice Age and the coming of History would have been impossible the Romans. Such a long period to consider why prehistoric people without prehistory. Prehistory is regarded time as cyclical, rather is difficult for children to imagine, far more than a mere preamble but putting the children into a than continuous, as we do today. to the main show. It was during living time-line across the classroom It would be interesting to examine prehistory that Britain acquired its might help. In one sense not a lot pre-Roman farm animals, through languages, landscape and regional happens for a very long time, yet examples that still exist today (Soay identities. In the following few in another sense dramatic changes sheep; Tamworth pigs, Dexter Cattle paragraphs I would like to give occur at irregular periods. Man and Dartmoor ponies). Prehistoric an impression of the subject’s moves from hunter-gatherer to domestic skills are a good way to farmer, from rural to urban, from extraordinary scope and diversity. I link modern children to the sources fighting for survival to sophisticated would have thought that the best of such basic things as their food society. There is plenty to get your way to catch the imaginations and clothes; good examples include teeth into! This feature should help of young children would be spinning (with a spindle whorl), you plan. through discussion of the practical weaving (with and without a loom) side of life: how tools changed and grinding corn with a quern (or through time; how buildings were pestle and mortar) to produce flour. 20 Primary History 66 Spring 2014 The Historical Association Key Stage 2 800BC 43AD Roman invasion 3000BC 2500BC Iron Age of Britain – 1900BC Stonehenge Bronze Age begins start of Roman Mold Cape begins begins Britain 9000BC 8000BC 7000BC 6000BC 5000BC 4000BC 3000BC 2000BC 1000BC 0 1000AD 2500BC 1500BC 3200BC 55BC Beaker End of 100BC Scara Brae Julius people first the use of Lindow Man buried in Caesar appear in Henges, like peat bog invades Britain Stonehenge Britain 3700BC 400BC Horton 2200BC Quern stone House Amesbury introduced Timeline – Stone Age to Iron Age Archer buried The story begins around a million years ago on what is now the beach of the Norfolk coastal town SCAN ME of Happisburgh. This site has revealed Britain’s earliest flint tools which were used by ancestors of modern humans at a time when INTERACTIVE PRINT the British Isles were still joined to the mainland of Europe. As the Ice Ages progressed people SCAN ME Layar.indd 1 03/09/2013 10:31 came and went, depending on the climate of the time, but during these hundreds of thousands of years it is possible to trace the steady progress and technological Excavated dwellings development of these communities, at Skara Brae which latterly were capable of fine (Orkney, Scotland), Europe’s most complete carving and artwork. Neolithic village The climate warmed very rapidly such as the lush woodland and This was just a short step away around 9600 BC and this marks grassland surrounding certain low- from farming. It is not surprising, the start of post-glacial prehistory lying shallow lakes were particularly therefore, that when farming and the arrival of a new set of sought-after and were the home arrived, shortly before 4000 BC, it communities labelled Mesolithic, to a large number of different was rapidly adopted. We currently or Middle Stone Age. It used to be settlements. believe that the new farmers, who believed that these communities came from the mainland of Europe, were very small and lived a shifting By the end of the Mesolithic period, amounted to about 20% of the nomadic lifestyle, but over the past in fifth and sixth millennia BC there British population. These new ten years new research has shown is evidence that Mesolithic hunter- farmers brought with them new that small permanent villages were gatherers were manipulating the rites of burial beneath mounds in existence, complete with family- forest tree-cover through the use or barrows, of which the long sized round-houses. Certain areas, of fire, to attract and keep game. barrows are the best known. Many Primary History 66 Spring 2014 The Historical Association 21 of these tombs contained stone the modern military sense of the left by, say, the Iceni of Norfolk chambers built from massive rocks word, but as centres of regional and the Atrebates of Sussex and and boulders, known as megaliths. communal authority. Thanks to Hampshire. When the Romans aerial photographs and remote arrived in Britain in AD 43 they The roots of Celtic cultures lay in sensing we can now appreciate came across a diverse and rich the Bronze Age (2500-700 BC), that most hill-forts were carefully range of cultures, some of which which probably witnessed the positioned in the landscape to were not openly hostile, nor fastest and most radical changes dominate the surrounding fields were opposed to classical ideas of prehistory. The pioneering and settlements. These would have and civilisation. In parts of south- developments brought about by been the places where people eastern Britain (England had yet to the first farmers of the Neolithic came at regular intervals to meet be created) the upper echelons of (4200-2500 BC) were transformed and exchange goods, livestock and many communities had begun to by a series of major monuments services; doubtless too they were wear Roman-style clothes. Indeed, (Stonehenge is the best-known where many marriages and new the earliest British coins have example) which still cover large family alliances were formed. Latinised Celtic inscriptions which areas of the English landscape. mention the tribal kingdoms that The period saw the construction There is good evidence for sea- minted them. These date to the of thousands of barrows, or burial going vessels by 2000 BC, which first century BC. The first legionaries mounds, not to mention some would have been perfectly capable would also have encountered a 400 henges and other sites. But of crossing the Channel. After fully developed landscape, with all of this came to an abrupt halt about 1500 BC cross-Channel fields, roads, lanes, woods, hedges, around 1500 BC, when barrows voyages would have been routine farms, villages and hamlets. There ceased to be built and sites like and from about 1000 BC there may were centres of regional trade and Stonehenge were abandoned. even have been a regular ferry- a flourishing network of ports and The second half of the Bronze like service, to judge by the close harbours along the south, south- Age sees the proliferation of field similarities of some English and west and east coasts. It is still not systems, the earliest of which continental art styles and objects. fully decided whether any true were in existence by 2000 BC, and The Iron Age (700 BC-AD 43) is towns existed at the end of the Iron the emergence of an elaborate often identified with the Celts. Age (in the sense of self-governing network of villages, roads and These were not an ethnic group, so urban centres, with refuse, sewage major route-ways. Towards the end much as tribal communities who and town-planning services), but of the period (from about 1200 shared many aspects of language there were undoubtedly some BC) we see the construction of the and culture. Indeed, even today it is town-sized settlements, some of first hill-forts which seem to have possible to identify with reasonable which may have been in existence been built, not so much as forts in assurance the archaeological traces as early as 500 BC. 22 Primary History 66 Spring 2014 The Historical Association Teaching the Stone Age The inclusion of the Stone Age in the proposed 2014 Bronze Age pottery Beaker or Iron Age gold torc can National Curriculum for History in England presents be powerful aids to the young imagination and can primary teachers with the challenge of having to teach provide an excellent focus for storytelling and literacy prehistory. projects. Artefact recording and site planning are some of the activities that can be used to support maths While a period that spans thousands of years may lessons. In addition, a study of prehistoric pottery seem daunting, particularly when combined with could aid a discussion about the physical properties the obvious lack of documentary sources available, of various materials and be the catalyst for scientific this development provides an excellent opportunity experiments or the basis for a range of art-based to experiment with using a different type of primary projects. source – the artefact. Our recent work with local schools in Horton, Archaeology, the study and interpretation of these Berkshire (funded by CEMEX UK) is a good example artefacts – the material remains of past societies – has of using finds as inspiration. Artefacts uncovered at provided us with a great deal of knowledge about Kingsmead Quarry, ahead of gravel extraction, were our prehistoric ancestors and is not so far removed put on display and an exhibition was designed around from history as it can at first appear.