Chapter 4 of Life in the UK Test Handbook – A long and illustrious history – part 2

Lets start learning about early history of Britain following Life in the UK Test Handbook.

Early Britain

  Britain history begins in Stone Age.
  During this time Britain was connected with continental Europe by a land bridge so people, hunters- gatherers were moving freely following herds of animals they hunted for.
  Britain was permanently separated from continent by the Channel around 10,000 years ago.
  6,000 years ago first farmers arrived to Britain, most probably from South-East Europe.
 They built houses, tombs and monuments like Stonehenge, stone circle still standing in Wiltshire, which was most likely special gathering place for seasonal ceremonies.
  Other Stone Age sites which also survived like Skara Brae on Orkney (north of Scotland) - the best preserved village in northern Europe and famous archaeological site.
  Around 4,000 years ago Bronze Agestarted.
  Bronze age people lived in roundhouses and buried their dead in tombs called round barrows, they made beautiful objects in bronze and gold (tools, ornaments, weapons).
  Afterwards came Iron Age - people started to make tools and weapons of iron; they still lived in roundhouses, in larger settlements and defended sites called hill forts (like Maiden Castle in county of Dorset, England).
 The people were farmers, craftsmen and warriors and they spoke language belonging to Celtic language family which is related to languages still used today in some parts of Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
 Iron age people had sophisticated culture and economy, they made the first coins minted in Britain with names of their kings.
  This is the actual beginning of British history.

The Romans

 Next, we have the Romans and Julius Caesar who led invasion of Britain in year 55 BC.
But he failed and Britain was free from Roman Empire for 100 years.
In AD 43 there was a new invasion led by Emperor Claudius and this time the Romans were successful, occupying almost all of Britain.
One of tribal leaders who fought with Romans was Boudicca, the queen of Iceni from Eastern England.
She is still remembered and her statue is standing on Westminster Bridge in London, near House of Parliament.
Scotland was never conquered by roman Empire & Emperor Hadrian built a wall to protect Roman territories from the Picts ( ancestors of Scottish people).
Except the wall there were also forts which made the Hadrian Wall like Vindolanda and Housesteads which can be still seen.
Hadrian wall is popular among tourist and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Romans stayed in Britain for 400 years.
They built roads, public buildings, created new laws and introduced new animals and plants.
 During 3rd and 4th centuries AD first Christian communities appeared in Britain.

After Romans left Britain, the new people arrived. I will learn about them tomorrow.