Timeline of prehistoric Britain explained

Other centuries
Prehistory	1st century

Events from the prehistory of Britain (to 1 BC).

Conventions

• This timeline focuses on species of Homo and covers the Pleistocene from the first evidence of humans.
• The names used for glaciations and interglacials are those with historic usage for Britain and may not reflect the full climate detail of modern studies.
• Dates for the Paleolithic are given as Before Present (BP), which uses 1 January 1950 as the commencement date of the age scale. All later dates are given as Before Christ (BC), which uses the conventional Gregorian calendar with AD 1 as the commencement date of the age scale.

Events

Paleolithic

See main article: Prehistoric Britain.

• c. 970,000 to 936,000 BP
  • Paleolithic flint tools at Happisburgh, Norfolk. The earliest known evidence of Homo sp. in Britain, presumed to be Homo antecessor.^{[1] [2]}
• c. 700,000 BP
  • Flints tools at Pakefield. Possibly a cross between Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis.^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]}
• c. 500,000 BP
  • Remains of Homo heidelbergensis at Eartham Pit, Boxgrove, Sussex. The earliest human remains found in Britain.^[8]
• c. 478,000 BP
  • Anglian glaciation begins – the most extreme in the Pleistocene. Britain extensively covered by ice.
• c. 450,000 BP
  • The Weald-Artois Anticline breaks for the first time after a glacial lake outburst flood. This landbridge to the continent was cut for the first time creating the English Channel. It would now reflood after every glaciation ended.^[9]
• c. 425,000 BP
  • Hoxnian Interglacial begins as the Anglian glaciation ends.
• c. 400,000 BP
  • Bones of a young female Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) at Swanscombe Heritage Park, Kent. Earliest evidence of Neanderthals in Britain.^[10]
• c. 352,000 BP
  • Wolstonian glaciation begins. Neanderthal occupation intermittent.
• c. 180,000 BP
  • Neanderthals completely driven out. There will be little human occupation of any kind for many thousands of years.
• c. 160,000 BP
  • A second megaflood widens the break in the Weald-Artois Anticline.
• c. 130,000 BP
  • Ipswichian Interglacial begins.
• c. 125,000 BP
  • Rising sea levels cut Britain off completely from the continent. It is warm enough for hippos in the Thames and lions on the site of Trafalgar Square, but Neanderthals did not cross the landbridge in time so there are no Homo sp. present.^[11]
• c. 115,000 BP
  • Devensian glaciation ('Last Glacial Period') begins.
• c. 60,000 BP
  • Sea levels have dropped sufficiently for Neanderthals to return to Britain in the warmer periods, possibly only as summer visitors.
• c. 44,000-41,000 BP
  • Jawbone from Kents Cavern. First evidence of modern humans (Homo sapiens) in Britain.^[12]
• c. 40,000 BP
  • Neanderthals go extinct across Europe.
• c. 26,000-13,000 BP
  • Dimlington stadial^[13] ('Last Glacial Maximum'). Britain almost entirely under ice. Southern England a polar desert. Humans driven out.
• c. 16,500-14,670 BP
  • Windermere interstadial^[14] (the 'Allerød oscillation' or 'Late Glacial Interstadial'). Temperatures rise. Homo sapiens returns to Britain.
• c. 12,890-11,700 BP
  • Loch Lomond stadial^[15] ('Younger Dryas'). Temperatures drop rapidly. Humans driven out.
• c. 11,700 BP
  • The Holocene epoch begins as the Younger Dryas stadial ends. The first Mesolithic people arrive and this marks the start of continuous human (Homo sapiens only) occupation.

Mesolithic

• c. 9335–9275 BC
  • The earliest date for structures and artefacts at Star Carr, Yorkshire, a site then inhabited for around 800 years.^[16]
• c. 7600 BC
  • Howick house, Northumberland, a Mesolithic building with stone tools, nut shells and bone fragments.
• c. 7150 BC
  • Cheddar Man, the oldest complete human skeleton in Britain
• c. 6500-6200 BC
  • Rising sea-levels cause the gradual flooding of Doggerland. The culminating tsunami caused by the Storegga Slide, likely contributes to the final isolation of Great Britain from the European mainland.
• c. 6000 BC
  • The earliest evidence of some form of agriculture: Wheat of a variety grown in the Middle East was present on the Isle of Wight.^[17]
• c. 4600-3065 BC
  • Date range of artefacts from a Mesolithic midden on Oronsay, Inner Hebrides, giving evidence of diet.

Neolithic

See main article: Neolithic British Isles.

• c. 4000 BC
  • Neolithic period begins in Britain, introducing the first agriculture.
• c. 3500 BC
  • Garth tsunami impacts the Northern Isles.^[18]
• c. 3000 BC
  • First henge monuments.
• c. 2600 BC
  • Main phase of construction at Stonehenge begins, replacing earlier wooden and earthen works.
• c. 2300 BC
  • Arrival of the Beaker People in Britain, replacing 90% of the earlier population.^[19]

Bronze Age

See main article: Bronze Age Britain.

• c. 1800 BC
  • Wessex culture brings bronze-working to Britain.
• c. 1600 BC
  • Last known major construction at Stonehenge.
• c. 1400 BC
  • Wessex culture replaced by more agrarian peoples; stone circles and early hillforts produced.
• c. 1380-550 BC
  • Uffington White Horse hill figure cut in Oxfordshire.

Iron Age

See main article: British Iron Age.

• c. 800 BC
  • Celts bring iron working to Britain; Hallstatt Culture.
• c. 400 BC
  • Parisi tribe from northern France settle in Yorkshire.
  • First brochs constructed.
• c. 330 BC
  • Pytheas of Massilia circumnavigates Britain.
• c. 300 BC
  • La Tène artwork introduced from northern France.
• c. 100 BC
  • First wave of Belgic invaders settle in the south-east, establishing the Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes.
  • First coins introduced.
• c. 80 BC
  • Second wave of Belgic invaders settle in Sussex, Berkshire, and Hampshire, establishing the Atrebates and Regni tribes.
• 55 BC
  • Commius, chieftain of the Atrebates, captured by the British after serving as an envoy to Rome.
  • 26 August – Julius Caesar lands between Deal and Walmer, wins skirmishes against the British, and frees Commius.
  • 31 August – Britons in war-chariots defeat the Romans. Romans return to Gaul.
• 54 BC
  • July – Julius Caesar invades Britain and defeats the Catuvellauni under Cassivellaunus.
  • September – Tribute fixed, and peace agreed between the Catevellauni and the Trinovantes, allied with Rome. Romans return to Gaul.
• 50 BC
  • Fleeing to Britain after a failed revolt in Gaul, Commius becomes chieftain of the Atrebates.
• 34 BC
  • Emperor Octavian makes an alliance with the Atrebates and Trinovantes.
• c. 25 BC
  • Tincommius, leader of the Atrebates, issues Roman-style coinage.^[20]

See also

• Timeline of prehistoric Scotland
• Prehistoric Britain
• List of extinct animals of the British Isles
• List of extinct plants of the British Isles

Notes and References

1. Miriam Frankel . Early Britons could cope with cold : Nature News . Nature . 7 July 2010 . Nature.com . 10.1038/news.2010.338 . 13 November 2012.
2. 10.1038/nature09117. 20613840. Early Pleistocene human occupation at the edge of the boreal zone in northwest Europe. Nature. 466. 7303. 229–233. 2010. Parfitt. Simon A.. Ashton. Nick M.. Lewis. Simon G.. Abel. Richard L.. Coope. G. Russell. Field. Mike H.. Gale. Rowena. Hoare. Peter G.. Larkin. Nigel R.. Lewis. Mark D.. Karloukovski. Vassil. Maher. Barbara A.. Peglar. Sylvia M.. Preece. Richard C.. Whittaker. John E.. Stringer. Chris B.. 2010Natur.466..229P. 4418334.
3. Parfitt.S et al (2005) 'The earliest record of human activity in northern Europe', Nature 438 pp.1008-1012, 2005-12-15. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
4. Roebroeks.W (2005) 'Archaeology: life on the Costa del Cromer', Nature 438 pp.921-922, 2005-12-15. Retrieved 2011-04-16.
5. Parfitt.S et al (2006) '700,000 years old: found in Pakefield', British Archaeology, January/February 2006. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
6. Good. C & Plouviez. J (2007) The Archaeology of the Suffolk Coast Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service [online]. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
7. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4526264.stm Tools unlock secrets of early man
8. 500000 BC – Boxgrove . Current Archaeology. 24 May 2007. 23 April 2019.
9. Gupta . Sanjeev . Jenny S. Collier . Andy Palmer-Felgate . Graeme Potter . 2007 . Catastrophic flooding origin of shelf valley systems in the English Channel . . 448 . 7151 . 342–345 . 10.1038/nature06018 . 17637667 . 2007Natur.448..342G. 4408290 .
   • News: Dave Mosher . 18 July 2007 . Why the rift between Britain and France? . .
10. Web site: First Britons. Lisa. Hendry. 15 December 2017. Natural History Museum. 17 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180804075216/http://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/first-britons.html. 4 August 2018. live. dmy-all.
11. Web site: The making of an island. 2019-12-30. Natural History Museum. Greenhalgh. Tate. Hendry. Lisa.
12. News: Fossil Teeth Put Humans in Europe Earlier Than Thought . The New York Times . 2 November 2011.
13. The Dimlington Stadial Dimlington Chronozone – A proposal for naming the main glacial episode of the Late Devensian in Britain. Boreas. Rose. James. 1985. 14. 3. 225–230. 10.1111/j.1502-3885.1985.tb00724.x. 1985Borea..14..225R .
14. The Late Devensian flora and vegetation of Britain.. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. Pennington. W.. 1977. 280. 247–271. Series B. Biological Sciences.
15. Encyclopedia: The Scottish Lateglacial Environment: a synthesis.. 1977. Studies in the Scottish Late-GlacialEnvironment. Pergammon Press. Oxford. Gray. J.M.. Gray. J.M.. Lowe. J.J.. 163–181. Lowe. J.J..
16. Book: Nicky . Milner . Chantal . Conneller . Barry . Taylor . Star Carr: Volume 1: A Persistent Place in a Changing World . . York . 2018 . 978-1-912482-04-7 .
17. Web site: Balter. Michael. DNA recovered from underwater British site may rewrite history of farming in Europe.. Science. 16 March 2015.
18. Bondevik . Stein . Mangerud . Jan . Dawson . Sue . Dawson . Alastair . Lohne . Øystein . Evidence for three North Sea tsunamis at the Shetland Islands between 8000 and 1500 years ago . Quaternary Science Reviews . 1 August 2005 . 24 . 14 . 1757–1775 . 10.1016/j.quascirev.2004.10.018 . 2005QSRv...24.1757B . 1956/735 . en . 0277-3791. free .
19. Olalde. Iñigo . etal . 2017 . The Beaker Phenomenon And The Genomic Transformation Of Northwest Europe . 10.1101/135962.
20. Book: Palmer, Alan & Veronica . 1992 . The Chronology of British History. Century Ltd. London. 13–16. 0-7126-5616-2.