As well as the Hallstatt and La Tene peoples, a group known as the Belgae invaded Eastern Britain, possibly driven out of their homelands by a combination of the Roman campaigns in Gaul and the attacks by tribes from Germany. They came in the later Iron Age, from about the 2nd century B.C. The Belgic people did not arrive in Britain in small numbers, they invaded as large tribes, generally prepared to take by force whatever land they needed for their survival. Although their territory appears to have been confined to south of the River Humber (in other words, they never reached the area we now know as Scotland), the repercussions of their settlement would no doubt have influenced developing societies further north.
Their skill and technology was superior to the inhabitants of Britain. They brought with them improved metal work, weapons, pottery and better agricultural techniques (using heavy ploughs). Rotary querns (a system of rotating stones) replaced saddle querns, used for grinding meal. They also exported slaves to continental Europe.
Jewellery and personal ornaments were also made of iron. Although gold and bronzework still abound in this period, it is probable that the novelty of iron and the difficulty of its manufacture made it an article of status. Unfortunately, as iron rusts, archaeologists often find only traces of these in graves.
The remains of a small iron-smelting furnace have been found in Aberdeenshire and have shown that local ore was used in the process. This meant that the demand for imported tin would have fallen.
The society was an agricultural one. The cattle and sheep were smaller than today’s breeds. The sheep were more similar to goats and had wool that could be plucked off. Simple weaving looms have been found from this period. Sheep may also have provided milk. Horses, the size of a modern pony, were probably only used for chariots and as steeds – not as draught animals. Pigs seem to have been common farm animals in the Iron Age.
Go To Page: 1 2
