Prehistory Timeline
Palaeolithic - ‘Old Stone Age’ When: 1,000,000 BC Landscape: tundra Climate: changes between cold and warm Hunted animals: mammoth, aurochs, rhino, long tusk elephant, horses, reindeer, cave lion Local site: Bramford Road – prior to 40,000 years ago and is the most important site in Britain for this phase.
o Britain connected to European continent by land bridge o Relatively few Upper Palaeolithic sites have been identified in East Anglia. The region lacks the cave sites which have proved to be so important for the preservation of sites o People not like us following herds of animals across the land bridge for hunting in groups of 25-30. Survival depended on teamwork. How did they communicate without language?
Mesolithic – ‘Middle Stone Age’ When: 9,600 BC Landscape: becomes woodland Climate: becoming warmer Hunted animals: fish, horse, deer and wild pig Local site: Constantine Road – Mesolithic fint found Tools: hand axe, bow and arrow, microliths, axes on handles (to clear small areas of land)
o Britain still connected to European continent by land bridge. Britain becomes an island between 6,500 – 6,000BC. o East Anglia is quite rich in Mesolithic sites. However, although there have been numerous surface finds there have been very few excavations of sites with material in primary context. o Humans living a nomadic hunter-gather lifestyle. o Humans start to manager very small areas f land, clearing brambles to create an area to lure their prey.
Neolithic – ‘New Stone Age’ When: 4,000 BC Landscape: woodland Climate: similar to today Farming: Sheep, goats, cows and pigs are kept and crops were grown Local site: River Orwell – polished axe found Tools: Mace heads and polished axes (making them beautiful as well as functional). Tools are given to gods as a sacrifice or used as trade.
o Farming on a small scale and people clear areas of land for this purpose. It is possible that farming allowed people to have larger families. o People live in long houses. o Pottery starts to be used, making storage possible. o Communal monuments are developed. o People live close to other groups as a consequence of staying in one place. This could cause tensions and disease.
Bronze Age When: 2,200 BC Landscape: woodland Climate: similar to today Farming: Sheep, goats, cows and pigs are kept and crops were grown Local site: River Gipping (near Sproughton) - bronze rapier cleared from bed Tools: Tools are made of bronze
o Settlements made up of round houses, and a sense of boundaries are developed (people become territorial) o Weapons become more prominent and a warrior class rises o People make sacrificial offerings in water, important people are buried in Barrows and cremation urns are used.
Iron Age When: 800 BC Landscape: woodland Climate: similar to today Farming: Sheep, goats, cows and pigs are kept and crops were grown. Local site: Princes Street - Red deer antler weaving comb found Tools: tools are made of iron
o Farming intensifies o Greatly increased population (51,000 people in Mesolithic period, between 1 – 3 million in Iron Age) and people are living in tribes o Evidence from written Roman accounts o Druids o Places become defended and hill forts are used to retreat to in times of trouble o A clear hierarchy and coins are used as a form of propaganda
Romans Prehistory finishes in Britain when the Romans invaded in AD 43. The Romans recorded their history and we can use documents when studying this period.