Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Casey.

What's your name? I am so excited to join you today for this history lesson.

Today's lesson is called What historians have learnt About Iron Age Britain.

Historians use clues, a bit like a detective, to find out what happened in the past.

Should we find out a bit more? Let's go.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain how historians and archeologists have used lots of sources together to try and understand what life in Iron Age Britain was like.

Here are some of the keywords we're going to be using in today's lesson.

Archeologist.

Someone who discovers and researches items that remain from the past is an archeologist.

Artifacts.

An artifact is an item from the past made by humans.

A source.

Something that remains from the past which archeologists and historians ask questions of is called a source.

We're going to be thinking about asking questions today and looking at different sources.

Today's lesson has two parts.

What has survived from the Iron Age? How do we know what the Iron Age was like? Archeologists and historians have learnt lots about Iron Age Britain from artifacts that have been found.

Archeologists often dig in the ground to find things that have been buried.

Can you see the archeologists in this photograph? Artifact was one of our keywords, can you remember? An artifact is an object from the past that was made by humans.

What a great start.

You've been listening so carefully, well done.

Let's check what we've learnt so far.

Here is a true or false.

Is it true or false? Historians dig, discover, and study artifacts.

Pause the video and tell the person next to you whether you think it is true or false.

That statement is false.

Is it false because A, archeologists dig, discover, and study artifacts, which are items that were made by humans in the past, or B, artists dig, discover, and study artifacts, which are items that were made by humans in the past? Who was it that discovers and studies artifacts by digging for them? That's right, it's A, archeologists.

Well done.

Archeologists have learnt about Iron Age agriculture, that's farming, from tools that have been discovered in the ground, such as the ard plow.

The ard plow was used to break up soil for planting seeds.

Can you see in the photo here? It was mainly made from wood with an iron tool on the end to break up that soil.

Sometimes it was pushed by humans, sometimes it was pulled along by cattle or horses.

A sickle is also an Iron Age farming tool.

It was used to cut down the wheat when it was ready for harvesting.

Can you see it here in the photo? Archeologists have also learnt about Iron Age warfare from artifacts that have been discovered, such as the Wetwang chariot.

A chariot was a two-wheeled vehicle that was pulled by horses and often used during battles to transport the warriors to the battlefield.

Here is a photo of an iron wheel from a chariot in the Wetwang discovery in 2001.

Also, lots of Iron Age weapons have been found, such as this spearhead here.

Fantastic listening.

Let's check what we've learnt.

Which two artifacts taught archeologists about Iron Age agriculture? Remember, agriculture is the process of farming.

A, the ard plow.

B, the Wetwang chariot.

C, the iron sickle.

Pause the video and talk to the person next to you.

Well done.

The ard plow and the iron sickle were both artifacts that taught archeologists about agriculture.

The Wetwang chariot wheel also taught archeologists about the Iron Age, but not about farming.

The Wetwang chariot was used in warfare and battles.

Archeologists have also learnt about Iron Age houses from earthworks of hillforts and evidence of roundhouses in the ground.

Here's a photo of a hillfort earthworks.

You can still see in this photograph of the hillfort earthworks where the earth was moved to create the ramparts around the hillfort and where the Celts were living in the settlement.

Most Iron Age buildings were made from wood, so very little has survived.

However, archeologists are able to study the soil and find clues from the ground.

Here is a reconstructed roundhouse.

This is what archeologists believe Celtic houses were like.

Archeologists have also learnt about Celtic art and culture from artifacts that have been found, such as the Battersea Shield here, which was found in the River Thames, and this torc which was found in a field when a farmer was plowing.

You can see the very distinctive Celtic art style with the swirls.

These two pieces also show how skilled the Iron Age craftspeople were.

Archeologists have also learnt about how the Iron Age people cared about their appearance because of the artifacts like iron mirrors that have been discovered in Iron Age graves buried alongside their owners.

The Lindow Man, an Iron Age body that was found preserved in the Lindow peat bogs, also shows that Iron Age people cut their hair and beards and looked after their nails and their teeth.

Super listening, everyone.

Well done.

Let's check what we've learnt.

Complete the following sentences correctly, using the same keyword.

Can you remember what our keywords were? That's right.

Archeologist, artifact, and source.

Which keyword do you think is missing from these sentences? Number one, the Battersea Shield and the Snettisham Torc are, that taught archeologists about Celtic art.

Two, the Iron Age mirror is an, that showed archeologists that Iron Age people cared about their appearance.

Number three, many, have been found near earthworks of hillforts.

Pause the video to decide which keyword fits into these sentences.

Archeologists, artifacts, or sources? Well done, it's artifacts.

The Battersea Shield and Snettisham Torc are artifacts that taught archeologists about Celtic art.

The iron mirror is an artifact that showed archeologists that Iron Age people cared about their appearance.

Many artifacts have been found near earthworks of hillforts.

Archeologists have also learnt about trade during the Iron Age through the discovery of Iron Age golden coins and by looking at the origins of materials used in artifacts.

For example, coral was used to decorate the Wetwang chariot that was found in Britain.

But we know coral doesn't come from Britain.

Archeologists and historians have used artifacts alongside other sources such as ancient Roman and ancient Greek writing about Iron Age Britain to piece together clues about Iron Age life.

It's a little bit like a big puzzle.

Do you like doing puzzles? They're lots of fun.

The Celtic people did not write about themselves, so historians only have written evidence from the ancient Romans and the ancient Greeks that were recorded during later Iron Age.

However, the Celts were often viewed as the enemy as they fought against the Roman conquest of Britain.

Therefore, what has been written about them may not be true.

Some of the writers may not have even ever visited Britain.

But most written evidence suggests that the Celts were fierce warriors.

Some of the famous ancient Roman writers, such as Julius Caesar, wrote about the Celts during the Iron Age.

Here are some of the things they said.

"The Celts wear brightly colored clothes and grow long mustaches." "The Celts paint themselves blue and scream as they charge into battle." Gosh, that must have been scary.

Let's check what we've learnt so far.

Who wrote about the Celtic people living in Britain during the Iron Age? Was it A, the Celtic warriors, B, the ancient Romans, C, the ancient Greeks, D, the Celtic women? Pause the video and have a think.

Not the Celtic Warriors, they didn't write about Iron Age Britain.

The ancient Romans and the ancient Greeks.

Did you get it right? Great job, well done.

And now, it's time for our first task.

Match the Iron Age artifact to the topic that archeologists learn about by studying it.

An iron sickle, the golden torc, an iron mirror, golden coins, and an iron spearhead.

What did historians learn from each of these artifacts? Pause the video and have a go at our first task.

Well done.

The golden torc taught archeologists and historians about Celtic art.

The iron sickle taught them about agriculture.

The mirror taught us about personal hygiene.

The golden coins gave archeologists and historians lots of clues about trade.

And the iron spearhead taught us about warfare.

Well done, everyone.

Next, we'll be moving on to the second part of our lesson today.

How do we know what the Iron Age was like? Archeologists discover and research artifacts from the past.

Historians study written history and what has been learnt from the artifacts.

Here is a photo of archeologists at work in the field, carefully digging in the ground to find the artifacts.

Here is a historian at work, looking at the artifacts and reading about them.

Can you match the description to the correct job? They're very similar, but not quite the same.

That's right.

Archeologists discover and research artifacts from the past.

Historians study written history and what has been learnt from artifacts.

A source is something that remains from the past.

That was one of our keywords, do you remember? Archeologists and historians ask questions about these sources.

"What was it used for?" "What is it made from?" "Who used it?" "How was it made?" These are just some of the types of questions that historians might ask.

There are lots of different types of sources that historians and archeologists use, including artifacts, artwork, buildings, and written evidence.

They don't just use one source, but lots of them together.

It's like piecing together a giant puzzle to work out what has happened.

Let's check what we've learnt so far about sources.

Identify whether each statement is true or false.

Indicate your answer with a tick for true or cross for false.

A source is something that remains from the past.

Archeologists and historians ask questions about sources.

There are different types of sources.

Archeologists and historians usually only use one source to get ideas about the past.

Pause the video and discuss which of these are true and which are false.

Well done.

Some great discussions.

A is true.

A source is something that remains from the past.

B is true.

Archeologists and historians ask questions about sources.

C is also true.

There are different types of sources, such as artifacts, written evidence.

D, archeologists and historians usually only use one source to get ideas about the past.

That one's false.

They use lots of different sources to build up that big picture.

By using these sources together, archeologists and historians have been able to piece together what Iron Age Britain was probably like.

For example, clues such as the plow and carbonized grain, plus written evidence from the Romans all together tell historians that it's very likely Iron Age people grew wheat crops.

The Wetwang chariot dig, plus Iron Age spearheads found at the burial site, and writings about the Celts riding chariots, all together tell archeologists that's very likely Iron Age people rode chariots into battle and launch spears at their enemies.

A good explanation of what historians and archeologists have learnt about Iron Age Britain will focus on how the sources have been used and what evidence there is.

This is a great tip when writing about history.

Let's check what we've learnt.

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence about how archeologists and historians learn about the past.

Number one, archeologists and historians use lots of or only one source.

Two, a good explanation of the past will avoid or focus on how sources have been used and what evidence there is.

Circle the correct words to complete the sentences.

Pause the video and have a go.

Well done.

Archeologists and historians use lots of sources.

A good explanation of the past will focus on how the sources have been used and what evidence there is.

Well done, everyone.

You have listened so carefully and done so well today.

Now, it's time for our second task.

Alex and Sam are explaining what archeologists have learnt about the Iron Age.

Read the statements and tell your learning partner which is a stronger explanation and why.

Alex said, "From looking at the Battersea Shield and the Snettisham Torc, archeologists learnt that the Celts were skilled metalworkers and craftspeople." Sam says, "Archeologists know that Celtic people were skilled metalworkers and craftspeople." Remember, we're looking for which is the stronger explanation and why.

Pause the video and have a go at the task.

Well done, everyone.

Alex has given a stronger explanation, as he has focused on the sources the archeologists have used.

Alex used the examples of the Battersea Shield and the Snettisham Torc as sources to prove his point.

Let's summarize what we've learnt so far.

Different types of artifacts have been found from the Iron Age.

Artifacts provide lots of clues about what Iron Age Britain was like.

Archeologists and historians use other sources too, such as earthworks and Roman writings.

Archeologists and historians usually use evidence from more than one source to form their ideas and understanding of the past.

Excellent work today, everyone.

Well done.

Bye for now.