Prehistoric and Roman Britain

While Britain was still joined to continental Europe by a land bridge, the first inhabitants of Britain, known as hunter-gatherers, made their way to this land. About 10,000 years ago, Britain broke away from the European continent and became an island. These hunter-gatherers depended on hunting herds of animals such as horses and deer for their food and clothing.

The Stone Age

Around 6,000 years ago, the first farmers reached Britain, most likely from southeast Europe. These early settlers began using stone to build houses, tools, and monuments. Stonehenge, in Wiltshire in South West England, and Skara Brae in Orkney, Scotland, are two of the best-preserved Stone Age sites in the UK. Skara Brae is in fact considered the best-preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe.

The Bronze Age

The Bronze Age started about 4,000 years ago. This era takes its name from the widespread use of bronze. People made tools and weapons from bronze and gold, lived in roundhouses, formed villages, and buried their dead in tombs known as round barrows.