Prehistoric Britain
Prehistoric Britain is the history of human presence in Britain before written records, from the earliest occupation to the Roman conquest in AD 43.
Boxgrove: A Lower Palaeolithic archaeological site in West Sussex with evidence of human activity around 500,000 years ago. Its tools and hominin remains document some of Britain’s earliest known inhabitants.
Palaeolithic: The earliest and longest phase of prehistory, characterized by stone tools and mobile hunter-gatherer societies. It frames Britain’s earliest human occupations and repeated departures during cold periods.
Happisburgh footprints: Fossilized hominin footprints found on a Norfolk beach and dated to roughly 800,000 years ago. They provide direct evidence of very early human presence in Britain.
Roman conquest of Britain: The Roman invasion beginning in AD 43 and the subsequent establishment of Roman rule over much of Britain. It conventionally marks the end of British prehistory, though change was gradual and regional.
Ancient DNA: Genetic material recovered from archaeological remains and used to study past populations. It has reshaped accounts of migration into Britain, while leaving local histories unresolved.
Cheddar Man: A Mesolithic human skeleton discovered in Gough’s Cave in Somerset, dating to about 7150 BC. His remains illuminate the lives and ancestry of postglacial inhabitants.
Last Glacial Maximum: The interval of maximum global ice-sheet extent during the last glacial period, about 26,000–19,000 years ago. Its severe climate made much of Britain uninhabitable and reshaped routes of recolonization.
Paleolithic Britain: The archaeological record of human activity in Britain during the Palaeolithic. It gathers evidence for early occupations, toolmaking, and population absences.
Roman Britain: The period and society in which much of Britain was governed as part of the Roman Empire. Roman administration and writing altered the evidence available for Britain’s past.
Beaker culture: A late Neolithic and early Bronze Age archaeological phenomenon associated with distinctive pottery and burial practices. Its spread raises questions about migration, cultural exchange, and population replacement.