This document provides an overview of prehistoric England before the Roman invasion in AD 43. It describes the early humans who lived in England during the Stone Age and built monuments like Stonehenge between 3000-1500 BC. During the Bronze Age from 2300-800 BC, people began making tools and weapons from bronze and metalwork became more common. The Iron Age saw the arrival of the Celts in Britain around 500 BC and the use of iron for tools and weapons instead of bronze.

1. HISTORY OF ENGLAND

2. PREHISTORIC ENGLAND (BEFORE AD 43)
PREHISTORIC ENGLAND (BEFORE AD 43)
Prehistory is the time before written records.
The monument called Stonehenge was built in six stages between 3000 and 1520 BC.
The site was used for ceremonial purposes beginning about 8000–7000 BC.

3. PREHISTORIC ENGLAND (BEFORE AD
43)
Prehistory is the time before written records.
PREHISTORY
the Stone age the Bronze age the Iron age
• the Palaeolithic
(Old Stone Age)
• the Mesolithic
(Middle Stone Age)
• the Neolithic
(New Stone Age)

4. BRITAIN AS A PENINSULA OF THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT
About 950,000 years ago

5. ICE AGE
Ice Age humans created the earliest known cave art in
England at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire about 13,000
years ago.

6. Trethevy Quoit (3500–2500 BC) -
a type of monument specific to Cornwall
Its upright stones support a massive capstone, showing the considerable engineering skills needed to
construct prehistoric stone monuments.

7. FIRST FARMERS (FROM 4000 BC)
CEREMONIAL MACEHEAD, DATING FROM 3000–2500
BC
Farming was first introduced to Britain around
4000 BC

8. Stonehenge
Stonehenge is the most famous prehistoric monument in Britain. It is a circle of stones.
People began building Stonehenge about 5,000 years
ago, dragging each stone into place.
The Heel Stone is a large
unworked natural sarsen,
weighing about 30 tonnes, that
stands at the end of the Avenue,
which leads into the earthwork
enclosure at Stonehenge. It was
once surrounded by a small
circular ditch and may have been
the earliest stone at Stonehenge.

9. WOODHENGE (about 2300 BC)

10. Grime’s Graves
This grassy lunar
landscape
of 400 pits
was first named Grim’s
Graves
by the Anglo-Saxons.
It was not until one of them
was excavated in 1870 that
they were identified as flint
mines dug more than 5,000
years ago.

11. Avebury - the largest stone circle in Britain
Avebury henge and
stone circles were
built and much
altered during the
Neolithic period,
roughly between
2850 BC and 2200
BC. The henge
survives as a huge
circular bank and
ditch. Within it is
the largest stone
circle in Britain,

12. BRONZE AGE (2300–800 BC)
Three beautiful gold objects,
dating from 1900–1700 BC.
The large, diamond-shaped
lozenge was a breastplate of
some sort, accompanied by a
belt buckle (top left) and what
may have been a mount for a
macehead (top right).
This is the richest and one of the
most significant examples of a
Bronze Age burial in Britain.

13. AT THE START OF THE BRONZE AGE
Beaker pots

14. MAIDEN CASTLE IN DORSET
the 1st century BC
Maiden Castle in Dorset is one of the largest and most complex
Iron Age hillforts in Europe - the size of 50 football pitches

15. OLD OSWESTRY
the Iron Age (800 BC to AD 43)
Old Oswestry - one of the best-preserved hillforts in
Britain

16. Old Sarum in Wiltshire
(about 400 BC)
An Iron Age hill fort may
have been established
at Old Sarum in about
400 BC.
It was then occupied
shortly after the Roman
conquest, when it
became known as
Sorviodunum, and later
housed a royal castle
and cathedral, although
neither were occupied
for long.
In 1226 the cathedral
was moved to Salisbury,
although the castle
remained an
administrative centre

17. LEXDEN EARTHWORKS
THE LAST QUARTER OF THE 1ST CENTURY
BC

18. The late Iron Age
Stanwick Iron Age
Fortifications
(Stanwick Camp)
It features over 9 kilometers (5.6
miles) of ditches and ramparts
enclosing around
300 hectares (700 acres) of land

19. Prehistoric Britain
YEAR WHAT HAPPENED IN BRITAIN
700,000 BC People migrate to 'Britain' from Europe.
Britain is joined to Europe (no sea in between)
Mammoth, rhino and giant beavers live in 'Britain'
Date of earliest human tools found on Suffolk coast.
130,000 BC Neanderthal Britain
The dominate human species is Neanderthal.
25,000 BC Ice Age
Northern Europe and most of modern Britain is plunged into a deep Ice Age
12,000 BC Beginning of the end of the Ice Age
Re-colonization of Britain by home sapiens.
8,500 BC Warmer climate led to the growth of forests all over Britain.
6,000 BC Britain becomes an Island.
The land bridge joining Britain to Europe flooded as the sea level rose
4,200 BC Farming people arrive from Europe.
First evidence of farming
Farming quickly spread all across the British Isles. Land is cleared, wheat and barley
planted , and herds of domesticated sheep, cattle, and pigs raised.

20. Prehistoric Britain
YEAR WHAT HAPPENED IN BRITAIN
3,000 BC New Stone Age begins: farming people arrive from Europe.
First stone circles erected.
2,800 BC First phase of building Stonehenge
2,700 BC Tools and weapons made from copper
2,100 BC Bronze Age begins
First metal workers
People learn to make bronze weapons and tools.
Introduction of cremation of the dead and burials in round barrows.
Beaker culture - their name is thought to originate from the distinctive beakers that
accompanied their burials. They were farmers and archers. They lived in round huts (similar
to the Celts) with a low stone wall for a base. The roof was made of thatch, turf, or hides.
2,000 BC Stonehenge completed
1650 BC Trade routes began to form

21. Prehistoric Britain
YEAR WHAT HAPPENED IN BRITAIN
1200 BC Small Villages were first formed
750 BC Iron Age began
Iron replaces bronze as most useful metal.
Population about 150,000.
500 BC The Celtic people arrive from Central Europe.
The Celts were farmers and lived in small village groups in the centre of their
arable fields. They were also warlike people. The Celts fought against the
people of Britain and other Celtic tribes.