THE EARLY BRITONS
STONE AGE
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The Stone Age is a period during which stone was widely used to make
implements with a sharp edge or a point, hence its title.
Stone Age people went in groups to hunt for food and animals. They often
had to move around to find their food.
Clothes were made from animals' skin.
People lived in caves and, later on, the houses were made from wood,
grass and even bones.
BRONZE AGE
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The Bronze Age is a period when copper and bronze were used for
weapons.The metal used most in this period was bronze, which is a
mixture of 90% copper and 10% tin.
Bronze is much harder than just pure copper and could be poured into
moulds to make tools like axes, spears and daggers.
Farming became important as more food was needed and forests were
cleared to create the first proper fields, divided up with drystone walls.
Roads and trackways were also improved and wheeled, animal-drawn
vehicles began to be used.
Houses in the Bronze Age were usually built in a round shape using
natural materials and had a fire in the centre for warmth, light and cooking.
Grass was sometimes grown on the roof to help insulate it:
Circular-shaped 'henge' temples were also built to ensure a good harvest
each year. e.g. Stonehenge
IRON AGE/CELTS
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The Iron Age is a period when iron and steel were used.
People began to organise themselves into communities and build
permanent settlements and the population continued to grow.
The people living in Britain during the Iron Age are often called Iron Age
Celts, but they were known just as the 'Britons' at the time.
The word 'Celts' comes from the Greek word 'keltoi' meaning 'barbarians'.
They lived in extended family groups called tribes, each with its own
chieftain/king or queen and laws.(Boadicia/Boudica was a Celtic Queen)
Celts were split into: warriors /Druids who were the religious leaders/
farmers who looked after the land.
The clothes of Iron Age people were made from wool and dyed with
natural vegetable dyes (from plants and berries) in: blue, yellow or red.
Bracae (trousers) would be worn under a tunic, held at the waist with a
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belt. Over this would have been a cloak with a striped or checked pattern,
fastened by a brooch.
The Celts also liked to wear metal jewellery, which had symmetrical
designs. Brooches and pins would have been used to fasten their clothes.
A torc (gold neck ring) would be worn by important people like chieftains
and warriors.
Most Iron Age Celts lived in roundhouses with just one big room. They
were built using materials from the forests. The wall of a roundhouse
would be made from wattle (woven wood) and daub (straw and mud)
which dries hard to keep the inside well insulated and warm.