1. Prehistoric Britain. Stonehenge.

5^th century BC – complete division from the continent.

Comfortable geographic position differs from the continent. Ice Age influenced the landscape strongly.

1^st people – in the Yorkshire area, south-west.

South border protection – typical stone constructions

Beaker people – Stonehenge (cemetery/war memorial/ritual place/astronomic reasons), close to Solesbury. Possibility of witchcraft.Important until 1300 BC, when farming society began to develop.

2. The Celts. Their origin and culture. Boadicea.

Around 700 BC.Tall, fair or red hair, blue eyes.From central Europe or southern Russia.Technically advanced.The same kind of agriculture but use of iron and new ploughing methods.Appearing of towns around hill-forts.

Special pantheon of gods.4 main holidays. Celts were ruled over by a warrior class. Priests – Druids, which had no temples.

Boadicea – a queen who led her tribe against the Romans in AD 61. Nearly drove them from Britain, destroyed London. Was defeated and killed.

3. The Roman invasion. Hadrian’s wall. The Roman towns.

Reasons:

• The Celts of Britain were working with the Celts of Gaul against Romans

• Richness

Brought the skills of reading and writing.

55 BC – Julius Caesar 1^st came to Britain

43 AD – Roman army occupied the country

A Romano-British culture was established across the southern part of Britain. Wales- under Roman control but not developed.

The Romans could not conquer Scotland, so built a strong wall along the northern border? Hadrian’s wall.

357 AD – attacks of Celts from Scotland, the beginning of collapse of the empire.

409 AD – Roman army leaves Britain.

About 20 large towns of 5000 inhabitants and 100 smaller ones. CASTRA – camp (Gloucester, Doncaster, Winchester, Lancaster, etc.). Connected with roads.London – twice the size of Paris.

4. The Saxon invasion. The traces of Anglo – Saxon language and culture in modern Britain.

430 AD – the Germanic tribes began to settle in Britain (the Saxons, Angles and Jutes). Fought with the Celts. By 570 the Celts were forced west of Gloucester.

New features of culture, language, etc.Agricultural improvements.

Gods:

• Tig (Tuesday)

• Wodin (Wednesday)

• Thor (Thursday)

• Frei (Friday)

Geographical names:

• -ing = family (Reading)

• -ham = farm (Nottingham)

• -ton = settlement (Hampton)

• Essex = East Saxons

Conversion to Christianity.

597– Pope Gregory the great sends a monk, Augustine, to re-establish Christianity in Britain.

601– St. Augustine becomes 1^st Archbishop of Canterbury. Spread Christianity to ruling families, but had little progress with ordinary ppl.

Controversy grew, crisis – disagreement over the day of Easter.

660 – onlySessex& the isle of Cright hadn’t accepted the new religion

663–the Synod of Whitby (meeting); King of Northumbriadecides to support the Roman Church, the Celtic Church retreated.

Monasteries (with ministers) – centers of education.

King Alfred (871-899) started Anglo-Saxon Church.

The process of education led to growth of power of landlords( whose rights and names were written down), and to loss of rights of peasants (not registered)

? Why did the Anglo- Saxon king prefer Roman Church?

!Economic reasons: 1) villages grew around monasteries => trade increase

2) bishops invited from Frankish lands => economic contact with Europe

3) Latin => trade growth

4) export of wood, cheese, etc.

Venerable Bede: 1^st historian who fixed the historical knowledge. “The Church History of English ppl” main focus: conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity.