Lecture 2. Historic stages of Britain.

This chapter covers the period of time from the dawn of civilization in Britain (around 4000 BC) up to the Norman conquest. It is a period that is largely ignored in British history books, apart from the Roman invasion and occupation.

But a lot of interesting things happened, and much remains for the visitor to discover and explore. The subdivisions that we are going to use, to help you make sense of what happened are 4000BC - 1500BC The first farmers, Stonehenge and other relics. Man migrated to Britain whilst it was still joined to the rest of Europe by a land bridge. Stonehenge and Avebury Ring are the most spectacular monuments from this period, but there are others. Stone Age man possessed great skills, but left behind only his archeology

1500BC - 43 AD Britain as a country of small tribes living in hill fort. As the Stone Age progressed to the Bronze Age and Iron Age, more tools became available. Farming became an economic proposition. Extended families lived in hill forts that they could defend. They could trade with Europe. Then the Romans arrived.

43AD - 410AD Britain under Roman rule. A largely unified country The Romans invaded Britain in force, quelled the odd rebellion and by 122 AD started building Hadrian’s Wall. They set up the network of roads that are still the backbone of Britain today. You can still see parts of Hadrian's Wall, Roman villas and many artifacts

410 AD - 1066 Anglo- Saxon Britain, Viking raids and the Norman invasion. After the Romans left, central rule disappeared. Angles and Saxons invaded from Europe and pushed the Celts to the fringes of Britain. Competing Anglo- Saxon kingdoms and a mighty Viking presence led eventually to the Norman invasion in 1066.

4000 BC to 1500 BC Stone Age man and the first farmers

This covers the period from the coming of man to Britain (around 4000 BC) up to the Norman conquest in 1066. The people left no literature, but they did leave many burial chambers, monuments and artifacts. It is believed that Stone Age man migrated to Britain across the land bridge then joined Britain to the rest of Europe. The rising water levels cut Britain off from Europe and left these peoples to develop separately and largely unmolested by any large outside tribes or armies.

Stone circles, Neolithic tombs and tools have been found all over the British Isles from the tip of Cornwall in the south to the very north of Scotland. Although stone age artifacts can be found all over Britain, the largest of their construction are found in Wiltshire in southern England.

There are smaller sites from this period of history all over the country - if you are interested you need to stop by a good bookshop and get a specialist publication on the area you are interested in.

The two largest sites are:-

Avebury

Not just one, but 4 inter-connected monuments. An Avenue of paired stones connects the henge at Avebury to a smaller henge called the Sanctuary, and nearby Silbury Hill (the largest artificial mound in pre-historic Europe)

Stonehenge

Nobody knows what it was built for, perhaps Druid temple or perhaps an astronomical calculator. Work started on it in 3100 BC and it was continuously being built, used and modified until 1100 BC. An amazing period of 2000 years - not many other buildings in the world have been used for as long.

After 1100 BC it fell into disuse, again nobody knows why. The stones on the site were used by the local people as a convenient source for building houses and road making. Even up to 100 years ago, local fanners used the stones from Stonehenge for road building and other construction work. It was given to the nation in 1918, and the government has been responsible for maintaining the monument since then as Britain's only world heritage site.. However there is still a long way to go in presenting the site sympathetically to the visitor.

Stone Age man constructed Stonehenge from massive 50 ton blocks of stone. Some were transported along a 240 mile route from the Welsh mountains The photographs above show that each stone had a mortise and tenon joint, so that when in place the stones stayed in place. The people who made Stonehenge had no metal tools!

One hypothesis for Stonehenge's being there, is that it was a giant astronomical observatory. The sun on midsummer's day rises above the heel stone on the horizon, and other lies concerning the sun and moon and their movements can be found.

Others believe that it was a druid's temple, or shrine. Whatever interpretation one puts on it, it was a massive and sustained feat to construct and maintain for 2000 years. It is a pity that the site has not been better maintained over the years, but you can still get the feel and majesty of the place. It is worth getting one of the more advanced guide books, which go beyond the superficial..

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