Prehistoric Cumbriaor

Life Before the Romans

Sue Temple

University of Cumbria

With help from Tim Padley

Tullie House Museum

How prehistory is divided upPrehistory was divided up by the increasing sophistication of technology into: •Stone Age•Bronze Age •Iron Age

However, today most people think of a gradual change with much continuity

The Old Stone Age over 10,000 years ago• The Old Stone Age

(Palaeolithic) covers the period of the Ice Ages

• People were only around in northern Cumbria during warm spells

• The museum only has one artefact dating to this period

The Middle Stone Age10,000 to 5,000 years ago• These people left behind flint tools made from small

pieces called microliths• They lived as hunter/gatherers• The only sites they left behind are scatters of flint and

other stones where they had been making tools• Further evidence comes from hearths that are found

with some of the scatters

The Middle Stone Age

The New Stone Age5,000 to 3, 800 years ago

Pottery and polished stone axes were introduced during this period

The New Stone Age5,000 to 3, 800 years ago

• Polished stone axes are particularly important for Cumbria

• Some 80% of analysed axes originate from the Lake District

Distribution of Lake District Axes

• Lake district (Group VI) are distributed all over the British Isles

• They are concentrated north of the Thames

• Later in the period production contracted and less freshly quarried material was used

Distribution of axes from South-West England

• The distribution of these axes is complimentary to those made in the Lake District

• Their period of use coincides with the contraction of the Lake District manufacturing

How the axes were used

Only the axe head survives in most cases, but this example from Ehenside Tarn shows how they may have been hafted

Pottery• The Neolithic was the

time when pottery started to be used

• This type of pot with stamped decoration is called Peterborough ware

Flint arrowheads

• Flint continued to be used.

• However it was now available in large enough pieces to make complete objects, not just providing the cutting edge

Woodwork

• Work during the investigation of the route of the Carlisle Northern Development Route

• Among the wood that was preserved were two ‘Tridents’.

Woodwork

• Similar ‘Tridents’ have been found at Edenside and in Ireland

• Cumbria now has produced 4 of the 5 that are known.

The Bronze Age4,000 to 2,800 years ago

• The main innovation was the introduction of first copper and then bronze

• This produced stronger, sharper tools and weapons

Improved design

As time went on, the axes got more sophisticated

Bronze making equipmentA small amount of bronze making equipment has been found in Cumbria

Flint continued to be used

Although technology had moved on, flint was still used for smaller items and ones that might get lost.

Pottery

• Pottery was made in different styles that allow archaeologists to recognise different groups

• This thin pottery with its distinctive shape and fine decoration is among the earliest Bronze Age pottery and belongs to the ‘Beaker’ users

Pottery

• Later pottery includes these large urns

• Many of these are found in burials• Some come from cemeteries but

others are buried on their own• The bodies are usually cremated

rather than buried

Jewellery and status

• Jet and gold jewellery is found on Bronze Age sites

• This is interpreted as showing higher status.

Rock Art

• Symbols are found on stones in the landscape

• They are also found on stones in circles and under mounds

• Their meaning is unclear

Stone circles

Stone circles

• They cluster in Cumbria along the Eden Valley

• There are other circles in the south and west and the central Lake District

• However, this is a pattern that we see today, and may not have been the original intention

The Iron Age – 2,800 to 2,000 years ago

• The Iron Age is under represented in the Archaeological record because of overlaps at each end

• Even Iron Age items like cauldrons were deposited in the Roman period

Found in Translation

Much information about the Iron Age comes from the items made for the Romans by local craftsmen

What do we want the children to know/understand/be able to do?

• Know that few people lived here and why

• Know how they fed and clothed themselves

• Understand why they were nomadic

• Draw conclusions from evidence

• To realise that for some questions there are no clear answers

Sources of information

• Archaeology; Excavation, surveying, photography, drawings, finds analysis, study of human/animal bones

• Anthropology, aerial photographs, genetics, geology, lidar(x-ray through land), radio-carbon dating, soil coring.

• How can we make some of this accessible to children?

When does prehistory end?

• In the UK with the arrival of the Romans

• Still mainly an Iron age population

• Depends on where in the UK you are – Cumbria likely to be much later – why??

• Cresswell Crags – cavemen

• Useful web site http://www.creswell-crags.org.uk/

• Fossilised footprints in beach – 1st identifiable people in the UK – Happisburgh, Norfolk – originally mouth of the Thames

• Link with geography

• Think about Ice Age (Disney Film)

• How accurate is it? Could you use clips from it?

• How would you survive?

• What would you eat?

• Could you make a fire?

• What do you wear?

• Where do you live?

• NB avoid use of word primitive – use early humans

Timeline• Romans 54 BC- 410AD

• Iron Age 800-54BC

• Bronze Age 2500-800BC

• Neolithic BC 400-2500BC Stonehenge

• Mesolithic 8000-4000BC Star Carr

• Paelaeolithic ? – 8000BC

• AD/BC CE/BCE

Types of Sites

• Occupation Sites

• Hill forts and earthworks

• Burial sites

• Religious sites

Occupation Sites

• Stone circles – lots in Cumbria!

• What were they used for? Why was there a settlement here? How many people lived here? Sheep farming? Seasonal? Asteric comic – home Men and women living here? Job division?

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• Star Carr, Vale of Pickering Yorkshire. Reconstruction of a house. Estate agent description – what’s the evidence for artist’s impression?

Hill Forts and Earthworks• Norman Castle on a

hill fort – assume defensive – fort ified? Castle? Anything insid

• Maiden Castle Dorset – village inside? Grain storage pits inside some empty by 500BC

Castle Hill Fort, Huddersfield

What’s it for? Who built it? How was it organised? Did they use slaves? Why was it abandoned? How many people were involved?

Burial Sites• Easiest? Most evidence? Skeleton

• Citizenship – can you/should you dig up a body? Respect for the dead? Anatomy lesson What will survive?

Wessex Archaeology onlineLots of photos – Amesbury Archer and his lady!High status – why? Lindow Man Should we display bodies in museums?Who decides?

Religious sites• E.g.

Avebury, Stonehenge, Twelve Apostles, Castleford Chariot Burial

Who laid it out? How did they do it? Why? Why should we preserve it? What’s the best way? Ban visitors? How do we balance this with educating people

Stonehenge in Art

Sources of information

• Primary History 66

• www.history.org.uk

• www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient

• www.heritagegateway.org.uk/