Samenvatting:
Britain the country and its people an introduction for learners of
English
Revised and Updated
, Chapter 2. History
Prehistory (approximately 2000 years ago)
About 2000 years ago there was an Iron Age Celtic culture throughout the British
Isles. These Celts arrived from Europe and intermingled with the people who were
already there. There are no written records of this period.
Two astonishing remaining pieces of that period:
- Stonehenge
- Silbury Hill
The Roman period (43-410)
The Roman province of Britannia covered most of present-day England and Wales.
During this time a Celtic tribe called ‘The Scots’ migrated from Ireland to Scotland
where they became allies of the Picts (also Celtic).
The Romans left very little behind in their occupation. Reminders of their presence are
place names like Chester, Lancaster, and Gloucester. These all include the word ‘castra’,
variants of the Roman word ‘castra’ (military camp)
The Germanic invasions (410-1066)
Two features of the Roman occupation:
- Its influence was largely confined to towns, therefore Celtic speech remained
dominant. - The Roman occupation had been a matter of colonial control rather than
large-scale settlement.
Fifth century: a number of tribes from the north-west European mainland invaded and
settled the south-east in large numbers: - The Angles
- The Saxons
This invasion meant two things for the Celtic Britons, they were either Saxonized or
driven westwards.
The Anglo-Saxons didn’t have much effect on the cities and towns, however they did
have a great effect on the countryside. Their culture formed the basis of English
society for the next thousand or so years.
Britain the country and its people an introduction for learners of
English
Revised and Updated
, Chapter 2. History
Prehistory (approximately 2000 years ago)
About 2000 years ago there was an Iron Age Celtic culture throughout the British
Isles. These Celts arrived from Europe and intermingled with the people who were
already there. There are no written records of this period.
Two astonishing remaining pieces of that period:
- Stonehenge
- Silbury Hill
The Roman period (43-410)
The Roman province of Britannia covered most of present-day England and Wales.
During this time a Celtic tribe called ‘The Scots’ migrated from Ireland to Scotland
where they became allies of the Picts (also Celtic).
The Romans left very little behind in their occupation. Reminders of their presence are
place names like Chester, Lancaster, and Gloucester. These all include the word ‘castra’,
variants of the Roman word ‘castra’ (military camp)
The Germanic invasions (410-1066)
Two features of the Roman occupation:
- Its influence was largely confined to towns, therefore Celtic speech remained
dominant. - The Roman occupation had been a matter of colonial control rather than
large-scale settlement.
Fifth century: a number of tribes from the north-west European mainland invaded and
settled the south-east in large numbers: - The Angles
- The Saxons
This invasion meant two things for the Celtic Britons, they were either Saxonized or
driven westwards.
The Anglo-Saxons didn’t have much effect on the cities and towns, however they did
have a great effect on the countryside. Their culture formed the basis of English
society for the next thousand or so years.
