What were the Iron Age settlements called?

What were the Iron Age settlements called?

In western and northern Britain and Ireland, such settlements are often known as ‘raths’ or ‘duns’. The standard Iron Age building was the roundhouse.

What were Iron Age settlements like?

People throughout much of Celtic Europe lived in hill forts during the Iron Age. Walls and ditches surrounded the forts, and warriors defended hill forts against attacks by rival clans. Inside the hill forts, families lived in simple, round houses made of mud and wood with thatched roofs.

Where was the best place to build an Iron Age settlement?

By the end of the Iron Age some larger settlements known as oppida were emerging. These could be found as far north as Yorkshire and reflected tribal power in the areas in which they are found. As many as 20 oppida have been identified in Britain, the best known being Colchester and St Albans.

When was the early Iron Age in Britain?

750BC
Introduction to the Iron Age The Iron Age in Britain began around 750BC and lasted until the coming of the Romans in AD43. It was the arrival of iron working techniques from southern Europe that brought Britain into the Iron Age.

What was made in the Iron Age?

steel
During the Iron Age, the best tools and weapons were made from steel, particularly carbon alloys. Steel weapons and tools were nearly the same weight as those of bronze, but much stronger. Before the Industrial Revolution, which would take place centuries later, the majority of people lived an agrarian lifestyle.

Why was it called the Iron Age?

The Iron Age was a prehistoric, archaeological era that existed from around 1200 BC to 100 BC (the 12th to 1st Centuries Before Christ). During the Iron Age, iron material was commonly used to make tools, so the era was named after it.

How was iron made in the Iron Age ks2?

Iron was found in rocks called iron ore. Making iron from iron ore (smelting) needed very high temperatures. Iron had a much higher melting point than bronze, which meant that, unlike bronze, iron could not be melted and poured into a mould to form weapons or tools. Instead it had to be heated and hammered into shape.

What is an example of an early Neolithic settlement in England?

The Neolithic site of Silbury Hill in Wiltshire, southern England, is one example of the large ceremonial monuments constructed across the British Isles in this period.

How was iron made in the Iron Age?

Smelting iron Blacksmiths produced iron using charcoal-fired shaft furnaces. Iron ore was smelted to produce a ‘bloom’ (see the picture) which is a spongy mixture of metal and impurities. The bloom had to be further refined by repeated heating and hammering.

What was life like in the Iron Age ks2?

The forts were surrounded by walls and ditches and warriors defended their people from enemy attacks. Inside the hill forts, families lived in round houses. These were simple one-roomed homes with a pointed thatched roof and walls made from wattle and daub (a mixture of mud and twigs).

How was early iron made?

Iron was originally smelted in bloomeries, furnaces where bellows were used to force air through a pile of iron ore and burning charcoal. The carbon monoxide produced by the charcoal reduced the iron oxide from the ore to metallic iron.

What was the first form of settlement in the world?

The earliest examples date from the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age (900-600 BC) and show little evidence of permanent settlement. Instead, these early sites often appear to have been used for seasonal gatherings, perhaps for trade, exchange and religious activities, with a further function as a storage centre for the broader community.

What are the different types of settlements in the Iron Age?

These could range from single or small groups of circular huts, to large village-like settlements. The latter are especially common in eastern England, for example at Little Waltham in Essex. In Scotland, large stone structures known as ‘brochs’ were built during the Iron Age.

What are the two periods of the Iron Age in Europe?

Western Europe. The Iron Age in Western Europe is usually divided into two periods—the Hallstatt (900–400 B.C.), which is also called the early, or first, Iron Age, and the La Tene (400 B.C. to the beginning of the Common Era), which is also called the late, or second, Iron Age.

How did regional groups develop in the Iron Age?

As the Iron Age progressed through the first millennium BC, strong regional groupings emerged, reflected in styles of pottery, metal objects and settlement types. In some areas, ‘tribal’ states and kingdoms developed by the end of the first century BC.