Early Britain Flashcards
Who were the first people to live in Britain?
Hunter-gatherers (the Stone Age).
When did Britain become permanently separated from the continent?
For much of the Stone Age, Britain was connected to the continent by a land bridge. People came and went, following the herds of deer and horses which they hunted. Britain
only became permanently separated from the continent by the Channel about 10,000 years ago.
When did the first farmers arrive in the UK?
About 60,000 years ago. Their ancestors probably came from south-east Europe.
What did the farmers do in the UK?
Built houses, tombs and monuments on the land. One monument is Stonehenge (now in the English county of Wiltshire), which was probably a special gathering place for seasonal ceremonies. Other Stone Age sites have also survived. Skara Brae on Orkney, off the north coast of Scotland, is the best-preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe and has helped archaeologists to understand how people lived near the end of the Stone Age.
When did the Bronze Age happen?
Around 4,000 years ago, people learned to make bronze (Bronze Age). People lived in roundhouses and buried their dead in tombs (round barrows). People were accomplished metalworkers who made many beautiful objects in bronze and gold, including tools, ornaments and weapons.
What happened in the Iron Age?
People learned how to make weapons and tools out of iron. People still lived in roundhouses, grouped together into larger settlements, and sometimes defended sites called hill forts. E.g. Maiden Castle in the English county of Dorset. Most people were farmers, craft workers or warriors. Language was part of the Celtic language family. Similar languages were spoken across Europe in the Iron Age, and related languages are still spoken today in some parts of Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Had a sophisticated culture and economy. Made the first coins to be minted in Britain, some inscribed with the names of Iron Age kinds. Marks the beginnings of British history.
Which came first: The Bronze Age, the Iron Age or the Stone Age?
Stone Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
(All part of the first beginning)
When did Julius Caesar invade Britain?
Julius Caesar led a Roman invasion of Britain in 55BC. Was unsuccessful and for nearly 100 years, Britain remained separate from the Roman Empire.
Who later invaded Britain, after Julius Caesar?
In AD 43, Emperor Claudius led the Roman army in a new invasion. This time, there was resistance from some of the British tribes but the Roman were successful in occupying almost all of Britain.
Who is Boudicca?
One tribal leader who fought against the Romans in AD 43 was Boudicca, queen of the Iceni (now Eastern England). Still remembered today and there is a statue of her on Westminster Bridge in London.
Which parts of Britain were conquered by the Romans in AD 43?
Areas of what is now Scotland were never conquered by the Romans and the Emperor Hadrian built a wall in North England to keep out the Picts (ancestors of the Scottish people). The wall included a no. Of forts, such as the forts of Housesteads and Vindolanda. It is a popular area for walkers and is a UNESCO (UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) World Heritage Site.
How long did the Romans remain in Britain?
Romans remained in Britain for 400 years. Built roads and public buildings, created a structure of law and introduced new plants and animals.
It was during the 3rd and 4th centuries AD that the first Christian communities began to appear in Britain.
Why did the Romans leave Britain?
The Roman army left Britain in AD 410 to defend other parts of the Roman Empire and never returned. Britain was again invaded by tribes from northern Europe: the Jutes, the Angles and the Saxons. Languages they spoke are the basis of modern-day English.
Who were the Anglo-Saxons?
After the Romans left, Battles were fought against these invaders, but by about AD 600, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were established in Britain. These kingdoms were mainly in what is now England. Burial place of one of the kinds was at Sutton Hoo in modern Suffolk. This king was buried with treasure and armour, all placed in a ship that was then covered by a mound of earth. Parts of the west of Britain (much of now Wales and Scotland) remained free of Anglo-Saxon rule.
How did Christianity spread in Britain?
Anglo-Saxons were not Christians when they first came to Britain, but during this period, missionaries came to Britain to preach about Christianity. Missionaries from Ireland spread religion in the North. Most famous was St Patrick (patron saint of Ireland and St Columba) who founded a monastery on the Island of Iona, off the coast of now Scotland. St Augustine led missionaries from Rome, who spread Christianity in the South. St Augustine became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.
