CIVILISATION GB

THE EARLY INHABITANTS OF BRITAIN

I) The pre-Roman Britain

1- The first inhabitants Until -6000 BC, Great Britain was still joined to the European Continent by a landbridge between the East coast and the Netherlands (Pays-Bas). Great Britain was not an island, easily accessible by migrants.But the landbridge was cut when the sea started to rise in -6000 BC.
Consequences : Britain became an island and stopped participating in European civilization in the same way as continental country.

From about -4000 BC, during the new Stone Age, people turned to agriculture. In about -3000 BC, some other early inhabitants crossed the sea from continental Europe in small boats. They were short and dark haired and they probably came from Iberian Peninsula or ever from North Africa. Many stone circles were created in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The most famous of them is “Stonehenge”. Its function is not very clear but it’s probably a center of economic, religious and political power. Stonehenge people also created giant hill-figures such as the “White Horse of Westbury”. They were great builders and had a concrete culture.

2- The Beaker people They arrived after -2400 BC from the Netherlands of the Rhine Country. They made bronze tools and beakers (gobelets). They enlarged Stonehenge with stones from Wales. They traded a lot with Continental Europe and finally, they were overtaken by the Celts after -700 BC.

3- The Celts During the Iron Age (-1000 to -500 BC), the Celts were the main inhabitants. They had probably been arriving from Continental Europe, They were a widespread population. The oldest center is in Hallstatt (Austria) but also Spain or Turkey (Anatolia).

They could