Bronze Age Britain

Bronze Age Britain
In Britain the Stone Age changed slowly into the Bronze Age from about 2100 BC. Metal started to be used for the first time instead of stone to make tools. The skill to make things with metal may have been brought to Britain soon after 2000 BC by the Beaker Folk who were named after the bell-shaped beakers (= cups with wide mouths) found in their tombs. Copper was used at first, then bronze, a mixture of copper and tin. Tools were made by pouring the metal into a mould. In the latter part of the Bronze Age most settlements (= villages) had their own smiths or skilled craftsmen.
  Bronze Age people built the impressive stone circles still to be seen at Stonehenge and other places. The double circle of standing stones at Stonehenge dates from about 2100 BC. Several pairs of stones still have a large, thick horizontal stone across the top of them. The upright sandstone boulders, called sarsens, are thought to have been dug from the ground about 20 miles (32 kilometres) away, but the smaller blue-coloured stones laid across the top come from Wales. It is not known whether they were transported by people using rollers or whether they were left near the site of Stonehenge by glaciers during the Ice Age. In either case, many people would have been involved in building the monument. Stonehenge now attracts a lot of visitors and is a source of wonder and pride. Some people believe that it has a special religious or astronomical meaning and was originally used to calculate when the seasons began and ended.
  On Dartmoor many stone rows extend in lines for distances up to two miles (3 kilometres). There are few traces of Bronze Age houses, though pounds (= areas surrounded by stone walls) on the edge of the moor may have contained groups of houses.
  In the Bronze Age important people were buried in round barrows (= piles of earth) made near the top of a hill. Over 20 000 round barrows are known. There was usually only one person buried in each, together with metal goods and pottery.
  In about 500 BC iron began to be used instead of bronze for making tools, and the period after this became known as the Iron Age Britain.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bronze Age Britain — In Great Britain, the Bronze Age is considered to have been the period from around 2700 to 700 BC.PeriodizationLate Neolithic, 3000 BC to 2750 BC*Meldon Bridge PeriodEarly Bronze Age (EBA), 2700 1500*2700 BC 2000 BC: Mount Pleasant Phase, Early… …   Wikipedia

  • Bronze Age — For other uses, see Bronze Age (disambiguation). Diffusion of metallurgy in western Europe. The darkest areas are the oldest. Bronze Age …   Wikipedia

  • bronze age — noun (classical mythology) the third age of the world, marked by war and violence • Topics: ↑classical mythology • Hypernyms: ↑time period, ↑period of time, ↑period * * * noun Usage …   Useful english dictionary

  • Bronze Age — noun (archeology) a period between the Stone and Iron Ages, characterized by the manufacture and use of bronze tools and weapons • Topics: ↑archeology, ↑archaeology • Instance Hypernyms: ↑time period, ↑period of time, ↑period …   Useful english dictionary

  • Bronze Age collapse — The fall of Troy, an event recounted in Greek mythology at the end of the Bronze Age, as represented by the 17th century painter Kerstiaen De Keuninck. Bronze Age …   Wikipedia

  • Bronze Age sword — Bronze Age swords appear from around the 17th century BC, evolving out of the dagger. Early examples with typical leaf shaped blades are found in Mesopotamia, around the Mediterranean, particularly in Crete, and around the Black… …   Wikipedia

  • Bronze Age Europe — The Bronze Age in Europe succeeds the Neolithic in the late 3rd millennium BC (late Beaker culture), and spans the entire 2nd millennium BC (Unetice culture, Urnfield culture, Tumulus culture, Terramare culture, Lusatian culture) in Northern… …   Wikipedia

  • Bronze Age — 1. a period in the history of humankind, following the Stone Age and preceding the Iron Age, during which bronze weapons and implements were used. 2. (l.c.) Class. Myth. the third of the four ages of the human race, marked by war and violence;… …   Universalium

  • Nordic Bronze Age — Map of the Nordic Bronze Age culture, c. 1200 BC History of Scandinavia …   Wikipedia

  • Dover Bronze Age Boat — is one of the few Bronze Age boats to be found in Britain. It dates to 1575 1520BC. The boat was made using oak planks sewn together with yew lashings. This technique has a long tradition of use in British prehistory; the oldest known examples… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”