Bronze Age Scotland - c.2500 BC to c.700 BC

We have seen how society in prehistoric Scotland was changing and evolving during the Neolithic age. It is hard in present times to imagine a life without metal; it is such a commonplace material. But, for thousands of years, people struggled to survive with tools of flint and stone. By about 2000 BC, the skill of metalworking reached Scotland and this would have had a tremendous effect on the lives of people.

The use of metal in the Bronze Age was not restricted to bronze; silver, gold and copper were also mined and smelted. Both copper and bronze were used to make tools and weapons while gold and silver were used for jewellery and ornaments. Copper, silver and gold are all found in Scotland, but only in certain areas. Thus trade between communities would have developed. Bronze is made by mixing three parts copper to one part tin. As tin is only found on the European mainland or in Cornwall in the south of England, further trade would have been needed. Furnaces were constructed of stone and clay; layers of charcoal and ore were burnt, the molten metal flowing to the bottom. Moulds were used to produce the desired shape.

The first communities to be involved with metalwork were those called the Beaker people (from a style of pottery associated with them). There may have been conflict between them and more established communities, as their dwellings appear to have been on the outskirts of settled areas. Apart from their expertise with metal, there were other differences between the Beaker people and the established communities. While the Neolithic people buried their dead in communal graves, the Beaker people were buried in single graves.

The Beaker people appear to have come Europe, where they came down the Rhine and across the North Sea to settle in Britain. The Beaker people who arrived in Scotland seem to have come directly from Holland and also up through England. With them they brought new skills and customs and for a while the two peoples appear to have lived alongside each other. Another group of settlers (identified as Food Vessel people) also make their appearance in Scotland around this period. They came from Ireland (and possibly from Spain or Germany prior to that). They also had different traditions as they cremated their remains, which were then buried in individual graves.

It is possible that beer was being brewed at this time. Three Bronze Age sites in Scotland have provided evidence of the organic remains of a brewed drink! Musical instruments were also being produced. Although only fragments have been found in Scotland, a number of bronze horns have been found in Ireland, dating to 1500 BC. Jewellery, made of various materials, including jet, silver and gold have also been excavated.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic