Early Britain

The first inhabitants of Britain arrived around 10,000 years ago, after the last Ice Age. These Stone Age people were hunter-gatherers who made tools from stone. Around 4000 BC, farming was introduced to Britain by settlers from continental Europe.

Around 600 BC, Celtic tribes from central Europe began settling in Britain. They spoke Celtic languages, which are the ancestors of modern Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, and Irish. The Celts were skilled craftspeople who worked with iron and produced intricate metalwork. They lived in large fortified settlements called hill forts.

Julius Caesar attempted to invade Britain in 55 BC, but the successful Roman invasion occurred in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius. The Romans ruled Britain for nearly 400 years, establishing cities like London (Londinium), Bath (Aquae Sulis), and York (Eboracum).

The Romans brought new roads, aqueducts, public baths, and central heating systems. They introduced Christianity to Britain. The Romans left Britain around AD 410 when their empire was under threat from invasions elsewhere.

After the Romans left, tribes from northern Europe - the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes - invaded and settled in Britain. They pushed the native Britons to the west and north. The Anglo-Saxons established several kingdoms including Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria. They spoke Anglo-Saxon or Old English, the basis of modern English.

Christianity spread through Anglo-Saxon England. St Augustine came from Rome in AD 597 to convert the people. Famous Anglo-Saxon kings include King Alfred the Great of Wessex, who defeated the Vikings and established the first unified English kingdom.