Prehistoric Britain | aaarticle.com

Prehistoric Britain spans the millennia before the Roman invasion of AD 43, from the first farmers through the Bronze and Iron Ages. Its most famous monument, Stonehenge, was raised in stages from about 3000 BC.

Overview

After the last Ice Age, rising seas cut Britain off from the continent around 6000 BC. Farming arrived about 4000 BC, and Neolithic communities built long barrows, causewayed enclosures, and great stone circles — Stonehenge above all — followed by Bronze Age metalworking from about 2500 BC.

Key developments

Iron Age Britain, from roughly 800 BC, was a patchwork of Celtic-speaking tribes with hillforts such as Maiden Castle, chariot warfare, and druids. Trade tied southern Britain to Gaul, and coinage and kings appear in the last century BC.

End and transition

Julius Caesar raided Britain in 55 and 54 BC without staying, and a century of trade and diplomacy followed. The prehistoric era ends with the Roman conquest under Claudius in AD 43.