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Watch: What happened in Prehistoric Britain?

Take a trip through 900,000 years of prehistoric history.

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Prehistoric Britain

  • Prehistoric Britain began when the first humans arrived in the British Isles.
  • It ended when the Romans conquered the ancient Britons in AD43 and Britain became part of the Roman Empire.
 Prehistoric family living in cave
  • The earliest humans were hunter-gatherers. They survived by hunting animals and finding food to eat.

  • Very gradually people learned new skills. First they learned to herd animals and grow crops. Later they discovered the secrets of making bronze and iron.

  • Prehistoric people couldn't read or write, but they were incredible builders. Their tombs, forts and monuments have survived for thousands of years.

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How do we know about prehistory?

 The skeleton of a Neolithic man displayed next to a recreation of his face
Image caption,
Meet a Stone Age man! Experts have recreated the face of this man whose body was found in a tomb near Stonehenge.

Prehistoric people left no written records, so how do we know about their lives?

Archaeologists work like detectives looking for evidence. They use this evidence to build up a picture of the past:

  • The remains of homes and temples show how people lived and worshipped.

  • Tools and weapons give clues about the way people worked and fought.

  • Bumps and ridges in the landscape show the layout of ancient villages, fields and forts.

  • Some of the best evidence comes from human remains. Skeletons have been found buried with their possessions and a few bodies have been preserved in bogs.

  • By examining human remains, experts can work out when a person lived. Sometimes they can even suggest what they looked like!

 The skeleton of a Neolithic man displayed next to a recreation of his face
Image caption,
Meet a Stone Age man! Experts have recreated the face of this man whose body was found in a tomb near Stonehenge.
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What happened when the Romans came?

A cartoon image of Caratacus wearing a cape and winged helm, holding a sword and shield.
Image caption,
Caratacus was an Iron Age chief who fought against the Romans. He is also known by his Celtic name Caradog, and he became a hero for the Celts.

The prehistoric period came to an end when the Romans invaded Britain.

  • In 55BC Julius Caesar tried to invade Britain, but he was driven back by The Britons.

  • The next year he tried again and failed.

  • Almost 100 years later, in AD43, the Roman Emperor Claudius launched a new invasion. This time the Romans conquered Britain.

Some ancient Britons retreated to Cornwall, Wales and Scotland, where they continued to follow their Celtic customs. Many others decided not to move. They stayed on in Britain and learned to live like the Romans.

A few Roman writers described the ancient Britons. Their writings provide a valuable source of evidence for life in Iron Age Britain.

Julius Caesar pictured the Britons as fierce warriors who rode their chariots into battle. He wrote that: All the Britons paint themselves with woad, which produces a dark blue colour, and for this reason they are much more frightful in appearance in battle.

A cartoon image of Caratacus wearing a cape and winged helm, holding a sword and shield.
Image caption,
Caratacus was an Iron Age chief who fought against the Romans. He is also known by his Celtic name Caradog, and he became a hero for the Celts.
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When was the prehistoric age in British history?

A timeline showing the Stone Age (15000BC to 3000BC), the Bronze Age (3000BC to 800BC) and the Iron Age (800BC to AD43). Romans in Britain are next on the timeline (AD43 to AD 410).
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Activities

Activity 1: Prehistoric timeline

The prehistoric period is divided into three 鈥榓ges鈥. They are known as the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

Click on the image to find out more.

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Activity 2: Explore prehistoric sites

Take a look at three very different archaeological sites: a fort, a mine and a tomb.

Click on the images to uncover evidence about prehistoric Britain.

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Activity 3: Prehistoric Britain quiz

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Bitesize Primary games. game

Play fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art, computing and modern languages.

Bitesize Primary games
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