Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Casey.

What's your name? I'm really excited to be joining you for this history lesson today.

Today's history lesson is called Iron Age Britain's connections to the wider world.

It's part of the Unit: Iron Age Britain, what have historians learned about Iron Age Britain? In today's lesson, we'll be exploring how Britain was connected to the wider world.

Not in terms of geography and physically connected, but how people traveled and communicated with other people around the world.

Are you ready to get started? Let's go.

By the end of the lesson today, you'll be able to explain why archeologists think Iron Age Britain was well connected to Europe.

Here are some key words we're going to be using in today's lesson.

I wonder if you've heard of them before.

Listen carefully as I read them out loud to you.

Gaul.

Luxury goods.

Minted.

Let's find out what they mean.

Gaul was an ancient region of Europe, which included modern France and parts of the countries around it.

Objects that are expensive and not a necessity are described as luxury goods.

Can you think of something that might be described as a luxury good? When coins are made, they are said to be minted.

It's the process for making coins.

Listen out for these words in our lesson.

Today's lesson, Iron Age Britain's connections to the wider world has two parts.

First, we're going to look at cultural connections.

Second, we're gonna look at trade connections.

Let's get started.

Many people today have links or connections with other locations around the world.

We have advanced technology.

That means we can phone, video call, and message family and friends around the world, at the touch of a button.

We can post items and buy things from around the world.

The invention of trains and airplanes makes it quicker to travel and explore other locations around the world.

With news and social media, we can keep up to date with what's happening around the world really easily.

It was not as easy for people in the Iron Age.

They didn't have phones and video calls, postal systems, trains and airplanes, the internet, news and social media.

However, evidence suggests that people in Iron Age Britain still had strong links and connections with the wider world, via trade, culture, and the movement of people.

Information and ideas would've taken a lot longer to travel though.

For example.

In the Iron Age grave found near Wetwang in 2001, the body found there was carefully buried in a rectangular pit with treasured goods such as a chariot, a mirror, and a broach.

This is very similar to burial sites usually found in an area that was called Gaul.

Can you remember that was one of our key words, was an ancient area covering France and nearby countries.

This has led archeologists to believe that the Celtic people in this area of Britain had links and connections with people from Gaul, because the burial traditions were the same.

You had similar ways of doing things.

Let's check what we've learned.

Complete the following sentences correctly, using the same key word.

Can you remember what our key words were? Which one do you think we need to use in these sentences? Number one.

The Wetwang chariot was buried in a style used in.

Archeologists believe this shows Celtic tribes living in Britain had connections with.

Number three.

Was an ancient place that is now known as France and its surrounding countries.

Pause the video and talk to the person next to you about which keyword you think goes in these sentences? Well done.

It's Gaul.

The Wetwang chariot was buried in the style used in Gaul.

Archeologists believe this shows Celtic tribes living in Britain had connections with Gaul.

Gaul was an ancient place that is now known as France and surrounding countries.

Archeologists used special techniques to analyze the bones of the skeleton.

The human skeleton found in the grave with the Wetwang chariots.

They discovered that the woman may have grown up and spent her early childhood in Gaul before moving to Britain in later life.

This is further evidence that Celtic people had links and connections with Gaul.

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

Here is it true or false.

Is the statement true or false? The person buried with the Wetwang chariot was from Britain.

True or false? That's false.

Is it false because, A, the body was buried in Britain, but the person is thought to have been from Gaul originally.

Or, B, the body was buried in Britain, but the person is thought to have been from Rome originally? Does A or B justify our answer? Well done.

It was A, the human body was buried in Britain, but the person is thought to have been from Gaul originally.

Celtic artwork and metalwork in Britain is also familiar in style to other locations in Europe, such as France and Belgium.

This is particularly evident in the Latin style, seen in artifacts from the Iron Age, such as the Battersea Shield and the Snettisham Torc.

Archeologists believe that the Iron Age Britain shared artistic ideas and metalwork techniques with people from other parts of the world.

Let's check what we've learnt.

Which Iron Age skills show a connection with Europe and the wider world at the time? A, artwork.

B, metalwork.

C, cooking.

D, knitting.

Pause the video and have a think.

Excellent.

It's, A, artwork and, B, metalwork.

Not cooking or knitting.

Well done.

Now, it's time for our first task.

Laura is talking about Iron Age Britain's connections with the wider world.

Do you agree with Laura? Discuss your ideas with a partner.

Here is what she says.

The Battersea Shield is evidence that Iron Age Britain had connections with the wider world because it was from Gaul.

Pause the video and discuss your ideas with a partner.

Did you agree with Laura or not? Laura is correct that the Battersea Shield is evidence that Iron Age Britain had connections with the wider world, but this is because it was in a style of artwork inspired by artwork in Europe.

It was not from Gaul.

Can you think of anything that was from Gaul that archeologists think provide evidence of connections with the wider world? Well done.

Now it is time for the second part of our lesson where we're going to be moving on from cultural connections and looking at trade connections.

Trading goods means swapping items. You have grown, made or mined, such as copper, tin, and wheat, with other items from different places.

Archeologists believe that the Celtic people, living in Britain during the Iron Age traded goods with people living in Europe.

They would have traveled by boat across the sea.

Can you see the photo of a model Celtic boat? The Wetwang chariot was elaborately decorated with bronze fittings and inlaid with coral.

A coral broach was also discovered along with small blue glass beads.

Archeologists believe the coral would've come from the Red Sea or the Mediterranean oceans, not from Britain.

The glass beads were also European.

This supports the idea that Iron Age Britain had trading connections with the wider world because these items found buried in Britain had come from other parts in the world.

Let's check what we've learned.

Here is it true or false? Archeologists believe Celtic people living in Britain during the Iron Age traded luxury goods with the wider world.

True or false? Well done.

That's true.

Is it true because items found in Iron Age graves in Britain are from the wider world? Or is it true because items found in Iron Age graves in Rome are from the wider world? Excellent.

It's, A, items found in Iron Age graves in Britain are from the wider world.

Cunobelin was a Celtic tribal leader.

He had trade links with the Roman Empire.

He traded goods from Britain such as tin, gold and wheat for luxury goods such as wine, olive oil, glassware, and jewels.

He was known as the King of Britain and was a very influential leader.

Cunobelin ruled in Britain just before the Roman conquest for approximately 30 years.

Here is a photo of a coin with Cunobelin's face on.

Let's check what we've learned.

Who was Cunobelin? A, a Roman soldier who fought in Britain.

B, a Celtic tribe leader in Britain during the Iron Age.

C, a Roman Empire from ancient Roman times.

Pause the video and tell your partner.

Well done.

He was a Celtic tribal leader in Britain during the Iron Age.

Who traded luxury goods.

Cunobelin was a Celtic leader known from importing luxury goods from the Roman Empire to Britain.

Let's sort the items traded.

Items from Britain, luxury good from the Roman Empire.

Wine, olive oil, wheat, glassware, tin and gold.

Which were the items written and which were the luxury goods that were traded from the Roman Empire? Pause the video and talk to the person next to you.

Wine was a luxury good.

Olive oil was a luxury good from the Roman Empire.

Wheat was grown in Britain and used to trade with.

Glassware was a luxury good from the Roman Empire, such as the little blue glass beads found with the iron mirror in the Wetwang chariots, Iron Age burial grave.

Tin was from Britain.

Gold came from Britain also.

Did you get those right? Iron Age coins have been discovered by archeologists in Britain.

The earliest golden coins found in Britain were minted in Gaul.

Archeologists believe this shows that the people of the Iron Age Britain had links with Europe.

Minting is the method for making coins.

That was one of our key words.

Did you remember? Minting at this time involved making a claim old and melting metal pellets inside which were then stamped with your chosen design.

Archeologists believe that this shows that Iron Age Britain had connections with Europe.

The Celtic people soon started minting their own coins too.

Archeologists aren't sure how the coins were used, but they may have been traded for important items or used to arrange agreements in other countries.

It's not thought that they were used for everyday items. Cunobelin minted many of his own coins.

Can you see the photo of the coins here? The coins were minted in Britain, but were in an ancient Roman style.

Archeologists think these coins were used to trade luxury goods with other countries.

It shows that Iron Age Britain had links and connections with the ancient Roman empire because the coins were so similar in style to the Roman coins.

And they were also used to trade.

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

Identify whether each statement is true or false.

Indicate your answers with a tick, true, or a cross, false.

A, some golden coins found in Britain were minted in Gaul.

B, archeologists believe coins show Iron Age Britain's connections with the wider world.

Cunobelin was a famous Celtic leader who imported luxury goods from the Roman Empire.

D, Cunobelin minted his own coins in a Celtic style.

Pause the video and decide if the statements are true or false.

A, some golden coins found in Britain were minted in Gaul.

That's true.

Archeologists believe coins show Iron Age Britain's connections with the wider world.

That's also true.

Cunobelin was a famous counted Celtic leader who imported luxury goods from the Roman Empire.

That's true also.

Cunobelin minted his own coins in a Celtic style.

That's false.

He minted his own coins, but it was in the Roman style.

Did you get those correct? And here is our second task.

Explain how each of these artifacts show that Iron Age Britain had connections with the wider world.

There's a photo of a golden Iron Age coin and a photo of the glass beads and coral that was found in the Wetwang chariot Iron Age grave.

What do each of these artifacts tell us? Pause the video and have a go at the task.

Well done.

Some great ideas.

Your answer might have included.

Iron Age coins minted in Gaul have been discovered in Britain.

Later, coins were minted in Britain in the style of Roman coins.

The Celts also traded luxury goods with the Roman empire.

Glass beads and coral found buried with the Wetwang chariot in Britain were from the Red Sea and Europe, showing connections with Europe and the wider world.

Well done everyone.

That's the end of our lesson today.

Let's summarize what we've learned.

About Iron Age Britain's connections to the wider world.

The person buried with the Wetwang chariot probably came from Gaul because their grave was very similar to burial sites in France.

Iron Age coins that were minted in France and Belgium have been found in Britain.

There is evidence that luxury goods from the Roman Empire were imported to Britain during the Iron Age, showing trade connections.

Cunobelin, a ruler of Britain, minted his own coins in the style of ancient Roman ones and traded with the Roman Empire.

Did you spot our key words in the summary? Gaul, minted, luxury goods.

That's everything from now.

Bye from me.