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1. The Ancient and

Medieval Period
Dra. Cuder Domínguez
Dra. Domínguez García
Dra. Pérez Vides
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1. The Ancient and Medieval

Period
  1.1. Celtic and Roman Britain.

 1. 2. Anglo-Saxon Britain.

 1.3. Norman England.

 1.4. Medieval Society and culture.

 1.5. The Late Middle Ages.

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1.1. Celtic and Roman Britain

In this ppt presentation, you  …become familiar with the

will… geography of the British Isles.

 …learn about the early

inhabitants.

 …study the main features of

the Roman presence in Britain.

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INTRODUCTION: The British Isles

North Sea

Irish Sea

Celtic Sea
English Channel
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Introduction

 Geographical location is central to the history and character of the British

people.

 Early history is a chronicle of invasions and migrations.

 Continental tribes landed on British shores and settled in the east and south.
 Earlier inhabitants were pushed to the mountains in the north and west.
 These inhospitable regions became a refuge for the displaced older cultures.
 Consequently, the Scottish Highlands, Wales, and Cornwall were inhabited by the
older populations; and to this day they are commonly called the “Celtic fringe.”

 The conditions for settlement were good:

 Fairly mild climate and a rich soil,
 which allowed agriculture.
 good harbours and a long, irregular coastline,
 which encouraged fishing and ocean trade.
 Abundance of copper and tin.

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1.1. Celtic and Roman Britain
Prehistory of Britain

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+  Humans first appeared in Britain by way
of a land bridge with the Continent
 between 200,000 and 300,000 years
ago.

 Later, a more civilized race of farmers

crossed the Channel and set up primitive
farming communities in southern England
 side by side with the older hunting,
cave-dwelling communities.
 Around 2500 B.C. these peaceful setters
1.1. Celtic and were attacked by warlike invaders who
Roman Britain brought with them metal implements.

Prehistory of Britain  These invaders are known as the Beaker

Folk because of their drinking vessels.
 They were good at working on metal
and admired jewellery, but had little
interest in farming.
 It is believed that this was the people
that built Stonehenge.

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Prehistory of Britain: Stonehenge
Located near Salisbury, in southern England and made up of two Circles
of stones. There are several theories as to its function: religious centre;
astronomical observatory; burial ground.

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The Celts

The last of the early invaders

 who transformed cultural life in the
south of Britain
 because they possessed a higher
civilization, which used money and
therefore developed trade.
 In successive waves, they landed on
1.1. Celtic and the south and east coasts and moved
inland as far north as Scotland, as
Roman Britain well as reaching Ireland.
Prehistory of Britain  The final migration of Celts to Britain
took place ca. 100 B.C.
 They maintained close links with
other Celtic tribes in modern day
France and Belgium, the Gauls.

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Prehistory of Britain

The Celts in the British Isles… …and across Europe

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Prehistory of Britain

The Celtic Language Family

 Shared etymology:
 Gaul (France) — Galicia
(Spain)— Galatia (Turkey) —
Galitzia (Ukraine)
 Britain — Brittany (Bretagne,
France)

 Three basic language branches:

 Gaulish: Spoken in Gaul
(France)
 Goidelic (Gaelic): Spoken in
Ireland/Scotland
 Brythonic: Spoken in Britain

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Prehistory of Britain: the Celts

Social Organization

 They lived in hut villages, and

 their social organization relied

on the clan,
 a group of families claiming
descent from a common
ancestor.

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Prehistory of Britain: the Celts

Warriors and priests

 The most respected in Celtic

society.
 The priests, called druids,
were an organized caste who
exercised great power.
 They had great prestige
and in addition to their
religious functions, they
were wise men, teachers,
healers, priests, judges
and counsellors. Even
kings had to bend before
their authority.
 They were highly
secretive about their
activities.

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Prehistory of Britain: the Celts

Celtic Warriors
 fought naked,
 but their bodies were painted blue for magical protection.
 wore torcs, a golden necklace that indicated their high status
 were renowned for their fighting prowess, so they placed a high value
on fine weaponry.
 heavy, long-bladed slashing swords.
 With richly decorated hilts, inlaid with amber, ivory, or gold-leaf.
Scabbards, shields, and helmets were similarly decorated.
 A warrior’s sword had magical power, and it was given its own
name.
 (Ex: Excalibur)
 And also spears for throwing, and they often fought from chariots.

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Celtic warriors
Human heads have been uncovered in Celtic settlements, but their
function is unclear.

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Prehistory of Britain: the Celts

Religion

 They worshipped various nature gods, and apparently

offered human sacrifices.

 Water in all its forms was revered by the Celts.

 Springs and wells were often associated with healing and with
fertility;
 wells often possessed some magical properties.

 Precious objects, such as ceremonial weapons and jewellery,

were frequently thrown into rivers or lakes as offerings.

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The remains of a Celtic village

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Prehistory of Britain: the Celts

 The Celts wove cloth and made

agriculture and cattle breeding
important industries.
Arts and Crafts  Over the years they became expert
in working tin, bronze, and iron.
 Their pottery and their metal
helmets indicated a growing ability
in ornamentation and in the abstract
decorative arts.

 In fact, the most distinctive an

unifying aspect of Celtic culture is
its style of decoration.
 It featured primarily metalwork
and stonework, and under
Christianity it was present in
manuscript illumination.

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Arts and Crafts

The essential components of Celtic
design consist of a few basic shapes,
including spirals, interlacing, and
swastikas, which are woven together
to form intricate patterns. Figurative
elements (animal shapes, for
instance) are sometimes combined
with these abstract forms, but they
are always highly stylized. The same
patterns occur in different objects,
especially weapons and jewellery.

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Prehistory of Britain: the Celts

Cultural Traditions

 Singing and dancing:

 The Bards
 The Dance: Ceilidh (reels &
jigs)

 Musical instruments:
 Bagpipe
 Harp
 Flute

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1.1. Celtic and Roman Britain
Roman Britain: 54 BC-410 AD

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Prehistory of Britain:
The Roman Empire
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Prehistory of Britain: The Roman

Empire
The Romans and The Gauls

 In the first century B.C. the

Romans invaded Gaul under the
leadership of Julius Caesar.
 Britain was not a primary
objective of Roman
expansion.

 Julius Caesar’s two attacks on

Britain during his conquest of
Gaul were made to punish the
southern Britons, who were
providing aid to their kinsmen
in northern Gaul.

The Ancient and Medieval Period

+  Caesar’s first expedition in 55 B.C. was
a military failure

 He returned the following year

 with more soldiers and he penetrated
inland approximately to where
London now stands.

 He signed a treaty with the Britons

 and was content with hostages
and a promise of yearly tribute.
Prehistory of Britain: 

The Roman Empire  As a result, trade between Britain and

the now Roman province of Gaul
increased,
 and Roman traders and settlers could
enter Britain peacefully.

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Roman Britain and the beginning

of history
 Julius Caesar is the author of
the first texts about Britannia
(Britain) and the Celts.

The existence of written records,

rather than archeological
evidence only, marks the end of
PREHISTORY and the beginning
of HISTORY for the British.

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Roman Britain

 Roman interest in Britain was not

renewed until Emperor Claudius
decided to invade in 43 A.D.

 Within three years the divided

Britons had been defeated
 and the new province was
divided into 2 units:
 a civil district in the
southeast, where cities like
Colchester, London, and
Verulamium (St. Albans)
flourished,
 and a zone of military
occupation in the highlands.

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Roman Britain

 But ruling the Britons was not  Governor Agricola, who arrived
easy: in 78, succeeded in pacifying
the south
 in the year 61, for example,  after completing the conquest
there was an important of the west (Wales)
uprising led by Queen  and extending Roman rule
Boudicca. into present-day Scotland.

 After that, the garrison was

reduced to 3 legions located at
strategic centres near the
frontiers:
 2 on the border of Wales,
(Caerleon and Chester),
 and one in the north (at York).

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Roman Britain

Hadrian’s Wall

 In 122 Emperor Hadrian

ordered a wall built from coast
to coast
 for further protection from
hostile tribes in Caledonia.

This famous wall roughly

divided modern England from
modern Scotland (which the
Romans called Caledonia) and
its people (the Picts or painted
people, because they painted
their bodies, especially in blue).

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Roman Britain
Under Roman rule the Britons began to live in towns and travelled from
town to town on stone roads built for rapid military movement, built towns
and established such features of urban life as forums, public baths
(BATH), and amphitheaters.
The chief port of entry was the new city of London, Londinium.

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Roman Britain

 The Latin language and the dominant faith, Christianity, made

some impact in the south.
 However, the Romans respected all creeds and customs as long as this
meant no political opposition.

 They used the existing structure of power for their benefit, i.e.,
they employed indirect rule by permitting loyal Celtic chiefs to
continue to exercise authority over their tribesmen.

 The result of this policy was peace, but it also meant that only the
higher classes, who were in contact with the Romans, became
Romanized.

 When they left, they didn’t leave behind a Latinized Britain as

they had latinized France (Gaul). Only their roads survived.

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The End of Roman Britain
By the 4th century A.D., the declining power of the Roman Empire encouraged the
Picts, the Scots, and raiders from northern Europe to harass Roman outposts. As the
empire became more threatened from the east, Roman legions left Britain to fight
elsewhere and never returned. The last Roman soldiers withdrew from Britain in 407
A.D. and the Roman Empire collapsed in 476.

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REVIEW:

Now try to answer the questions you

have in the consolidation task 1.1

 How many questions have you been

able to answer?

 Which one was the most difficult for

you?
1.1 Celtic and
Roman Britain
Have you…
…become familiar with the
geography of the British Isles?
…learnt about the early
inhabitants?
…studied the main features of
the Roman presence in Britain?

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The Ancient and Medieval Period
+ What was the social
What is Stonehenge? structure of Celtic
Who built it? society? And of
Roman society?

Examples…
Review
Use this space for your
personal notes on key
subjects, dates, events,
etc. in this presentation. How did Roman Who was Queen
Britannia start? Boudicca?

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The Ancient and Medieval Period
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Celtic and Roman Britain

Pilar Cuder Domínguez

Beatriz Domínguez García
Auxiliadora Pérez Vides