Britain's Prehistoric History Up To Roman Conquest PDF

BRITAIN’S PREHISTORY UP TO THE ROMAN CONQUEST (McDowall, 1989 >> p. 3-10) Winter Term  THE ISLAND milder climate> Gulf Stream The North> cooler than the South The North and West= mountainous The South and East> fairly flat or low-lying = agriculture +...

BRITAIN’S PREHISTORY UP TO THE ROMAN CONQUEST (McDowall, 1989 >> p. 3-10) Winter Term  THE ISLAND milder climate> Gulf Stream The North> cooler than the South The North and West= mountainous The South and East> fairly flat or low-lying = agriculture + the most populated part of the island=>> the most political power frequently to travel across water> protection of Britain, roads  BRITAIN’S PREHISTORY Britain has not always been an island an island... after the end of the last Ice Age 5000 BC> Britain had finally become an island and become heavily forested the first evidence of human life> stone tools (250 000 BC)>> objects made from flakes of flint + hand axes  BRITAIN’S PREHISTORY 2 arrival of “new people“ = Neolithic... making pottery several waves of invaders 55BC˃ 1.arrival of Romans public works> barrows or burial mounds = earth + stone (large comunal tomb) farming ? 1400 BC> drought henges Stonehenge  BRITAIN’S PREHISTORY 3 after 2400 BC- arrival of “ new people“again> Neolithic Britons > 1. individual graves furnished with pottery beakers - communal tombs “Beaker“ people > new cereal - barley they brought skills to make bronze tools ✓ stone ones the new farmers “henges“- hill-forts ✓ as the centre of local power local people = more advanced metalworking skills, e.g. swords  STONEHENGE Bluestones as the result of subvolcanic rock Stonehenge = horizontal stones, its purpose was not properly understood  THE CELTS (700 BC) - NEW ARRIVAL technically advanced> iron + ploughing methods=> successful farmers organised into different tribes Celtic languages - in some areas in Britain, the British today is described as Anglo-Saxon, it would be better to call them Anglo-Celt continue in agriculture as the Bronze Age people did ✓ continue in hill-forts TRADE (conducted by river and by sea) - VERY IMPORTANT means of payment - they used iron bars... later copy  THE CELTS (700 BC) “very careful about cleanliness and neatness“ The Celts = read, write> BUT> the priests = Druids> members of the educated, professional class, religious teachings; tribal laws; medicine women> more independence>> Boadicea >> equality between man and woman among the richer Celts Thanks to Celts, Britain had become an important food producer because of its mild climate - export to the European mainland  THE ROMANS they brought the skills of reading and writing to Britain Latin... completely disappeared when the Anglo-Saxon invaded Britain in the 5th century- important for spreading ideas and establishing power conquer the whole island> better trained army... Celtic tribes fought among themselves “Caledonia“ (Scotland) Hadrian´s wall In 43 AC> the Romans conquered England... they could never conquered Scotland  ROMAN LIFE towns= the basis of Roman administration and civilisation 3 different kinds of town: 2 of them>> the “coloniae“= towns peopled by Roman settlers the “municipia“= large cities with Roman citizenship the “civitas“= included the Old Celtic tribal capitals The Romans left about 20 large towns = 5000 inhabitants at first army camps> from Latin word for “camp“> “castra“: Gloucester; Leicester; Doncaster; Winchester; Chester; Lancaster Roman roads= the main roads of modern Britain The growth of large farms> “villas“= belong to richer Britons London = capital city with 20 000 inhabitants = the most important trading centre of northern Europe, southeast Britain produced so much corn for export London was twice size of Paris PREHISTORY TIMELINE THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !