What period does prehistory in Britain refer to?
The period before the Romans arrived.
Around when did humans probably first reach Britain?
Around 900,000 BC.
When did the Stone Age in Britain last?
From about 900,000 BC to 2500 BC.
Which periods comprised the Stone Age in Britain?
The Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods.
How did Palaeolithic people obtain food and live?
They were nomadic food gatherers who moved with their families.
Around what year did rising sea levels separate Britain from continental Europe?
Around 7000 BC.
What crops and animals did Neolithic people cultivate or keep from about 4000 BC?
They cultivated wheat and kept goats and sheep.
Where and when was Stonehenge built?
On Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, around 2500 BC.
How are Stonehenge’s upright stones arranged?
In circles and a horseshoe around an altar.
When did the Bronze Age in Britain last?
About 2500 to 750 BC.
Which metals made up the bronze used in Bronze Age Britain?
Copper and tin.
When are Celtic tribes believed to have arrived in Britain?
Around 1000 BC.
What continued in Britain beyond the Iron Age?
Celtic languages, culture, and traditions.
Between which dates did the Iron Age in Britain last?
About 700 BC to AD 43.
What prompted the start of the Iron Age in Britain?
The arrival of ironworking techniques from southern Europe.
What were hillforts used for by small communities?
Shelter and defence during attacks.
Which tribes inhabited pre-conquest Britain without a shared political or cultural identity?
Independent Celtic tribes, including the Catuvellauni, Trinovantes, and Iceni.
In which years did Julius Caesar expedition to Britain?
55 BC and 54 BC.
What prevented Julius Caesar’s British expeditions from establishing Roman rule?
Caesar did not establish permanent Roman rule.
In which year did Claudius launch the Roman invasion of Britain?
AD 43.
When did Boudica rebel against Roman rule?
AD 60–61.
Which three towns did Boudica’s forces destroy?
Camulodunum, Londinium, and Verulamium.
Where were Boudica’s forces defeated?
At the Battle of Watling Street.
In which year did Hadrian visit Britain and order a frontier wall built?
AD 122.
What were the length and approximate completion date of Hadrian’s Wall?
It stretched 73 miles (117 km) and was mostly complete by about AD 130.
Where was Romanisation strongest in Britain?
The Midlands, South, and East.
Where was Roman influence more limited in Britain?
The far West, Wales, and the North.
What happened to Roman rule in Britain in AD 410?
It effectively ended when authorities were told to provide for their own defence.
Which features formed part of Roman Britain’s legacy?
Roads, towns, currency, public buildings, centralised administration, Latin in administration, and Roman law, culture, and religion.
What does BCE mean?
Before Common Era.
What does AD mean?
Anno Domini, or Year of the Lord.
How many people typically travelled together in Mesolithic groups?
10–40 people.
Why were Neolithic woodlands cleared?
Farming required more land.
What material did Neolithic people continue using for tools?
Flint.
What did Neolithic communities use pottery for?
Cooking and storing food.
What aligns with Stonehenge’s altar at the summer solstice?
Sunrise.
How did merchants sell British bronze to Europe?
They travelled by sea.
What happened to the dead during the Late Bronze Age in Britain?
They were cremated, and their ashes were placed in small cemeteries.
What helped spread early Celtic languages across Britain during the Late Bronze Age?
Increased contact and family movement between Britain and mainland Europe.
How did iron-tipped ploughs and axes improve farming?
They turned soil faster and cleared woodland more efficiently.
Who ruled Iron Age Britons living in tribal groups?
Chieftains.
What is traditionally linked to intertribal hostility in Iron Age Britain?
The building of hillforts.
Who wrote The Periplus about voyages around Britain and Ireland?
The Greek traveller Pytheas of Massalia.
Which technologies did Iron Age Britain use?
The potter’s wheel, the lathe, and the rotary quern.
What did Caesar compel some British tribes to do in 54 BC?
Pay tribute.
How long did Britain remain independent after Caesar’s 54 BC campaign?
Almost a century.
What name did the Romans use for Britain?
Britannia.
What older name for Britain appeared especially in Greek and Latin sources?
Albion.
Which Roman town initially became the capital of Britannia?
Camulodunum, modern Colchester.
By about what year did Rome control much of Britain?
About AD 85.
Under which dynasty did Roman campaigns expand into Wales and northern England?
The Flavian dynasty.
In which year did Agricola defeat the Caledonians at Mons Graupius?
AD 83.
When did the Romans begin building the Antonine Wall?
About AD 142.
Which three towns were important in Roman Britain?
Londinium, Verulamium, and Eboracum.
When did Septimius Severus campaign in northern Britain?
AD 208–211.
What did Septimius Severus’s sons do after his death at York?
They abandoned the campaign and returned to Hadrian’s Wall.
When did Britain belong to the breakaway Gallic Empire?
From AD 260 to 274.
When was Britain part of the breakaway empire under Carausius and Allectus?
From AD 286 to 296.
What was the AD 293 system dividing imperial rule called?
The Tetrarchy.
How many provinces was Britain divided into under Diocletian?
Four provinces.
In which year did Constantine grant Christians religious freedom under the Edict of Milan?
AD 313.
What persisted in Britain after Roman rule ended in AD 410?
Roman influence and some military sites persisted.
Answer 19 questions on Prehistoric and Roman Britain.
1. Which statement best describes the period called prehistory in Britain?
2. Regarding the duration and divisions of the Stone Age in Britain, which statements are accurate?
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