Stonehenge

The Origins

By MrPink72
  • 700 BCE

    Druids 700 BC-43 AD

    • They were the most influential figures in Celtic society.
    • They were priests.
    • They did not go to war.
    • They administered justiceand were responsible of education of the young.
  • Period: 700 BCE to 45

    The Celts

    • They arrived from north-western Germany and they were tribes of warriors who shared a similar language, religion and culture.
    • They were hunters, fishermen and metal workers; they practised also agricolture (introduction of plough).
    • They lived in small villagesor farming communities and their basic life was the CLAN.
    • They worshipped the natural elements such as the sun, the moon and water. (see Druids)
    • Celtic women may have more rights and more equal status to men.
  • Period: 43 to 409

    The Romans

    • In 55 and 54 BC Julius Caesar (ca 65-44 BC invaded Britain..
    • The real conquest began with Emperor Claudius (41-54 AD).
    • They built public baths, vibrant commercial centres and over 9600 km of paved roads.
    • The origins of London can be traced to the Roman invasion. (Londinium)
    • They built "London Bridge" on the River Thames .
    • In 409 Emperor Honorius had to go back to Rome (393-423 AD) to defend it against the Barbarians and they left the Celts alone to fight against the Anglo-Saxons.
  • 122

    Hadrian's Wall 122-125 AD

    Built between 122-125 AD as a defensive fortification and costumes barrier. It ran from the east coast to the west coast between today's Engkand and Scotland.
  • 410

    Old English 410-1066

    The dialects spoken by the Anglo-Saxons evolved over time and together became known as Old English; this language provided the basis for Modern English, especially words relating to everyday life.
  • Period: 410 to 1066

    The Anglo-Saxons

    • Anglo Saxons= Angles, Saxons and Jutes were Germanic tribes who arrived over the course of the 5th and 6th centuries. They were illiterate.
    • They used the RUNIC alphabet.
    • They were farmers and deep fishermen
    • They were organised in tribes and family groups.
    • They worshipped sevral gods so Christianity, introduced by the Romans disappeared.
  • Period: 410 to 1066

    Anglo-Saxon literature 410-1066 AD

    • It is also called Old English literature (from the 5th century to 1066 -the Norman conquest-)
    • Genres: epic poetry, elegies, chronicles, riddles, translations of the Bible from Latin, stories about the lives od saints and sermons.
    • Oral and anonymous poetry
    • The poet was called also a "scop"; he entertained the noblemen.
    • The most important formal aspects are stress and allitteration.
  • 595

    Monk Augustine (6th century-604 AD)

    • Pope Gregory I the Great (590-604) sent the monk Augustine to bring Christianity back to England.
    • Augustine became the first Archibishop of Canterbury.
    • Christianity spread across the kingdom.
  • Period: 600 to 1066

    From the Heptarchy to the Norman Conquest

    • After the Anglo-Saxons Britain was divided into several kingdoms with their own kings.
    • 7th century: seven main kingdoms developed.; this were called the Heptarchy and they still mark counties to this day such as: East Anglia, Essex, Kent, Mercia, Northumbria, Sussex and Wessex. Northumbria, Mercia and Wessex were the strongest ones.
  • 673

    Venerable Bede (ca 673-735 AD)

    Several monasteries were built and became important centres of communal life and culture.
    - THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE written by the Venerable Bede = wht we know about the Anglo-Saxons is based on this book. Venerable Bede was the first to use the word "Angle-Land" (the root name for England).
  • 793

    The Vikings (between 8th and 9the centuries)

    The came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark. They attacked the monastery of Lindisfarne in 793 and gradually settled in the country.
  • 871

    Alfred the Great (871-899 AD)

    • King Alfred the Great with the Anglo-Saxons fought against the Vikings; he won, he had back the occupied territories, recorganised the army and built the fleet.
    • He also gave importance to religion and ecnouraged the writing of "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle".
    • Alfred dreamed of building a state with local organization, the construction of towns, the promotion of learning and literacy.
  • 927

    Athelstan 927 AD

    • Alfred's son Edward (899-924 AD) was a great war leader.
    • Edward's son Athelstan (927 AD)can be described as the father of the English state: he created a kingdom of all England by establishing the idea of royal authority, law and coinage.
  • 990

    Viking kings 990s AD

    Large-scale Viking violence returned to England in the 990s and the policy of the "Danegeld" (protection money paid in return for being left alone) was practised regularly. (990s-1016)
    - King Canute 1016-1032 AD) brought an end to the Viking attacks.
    - Edward the Confessor devoted hmself to religion; he built Westminster Abbey (1065) and he died in 1066 childless.
    - Harlod II (his brother in law) of Wessex was the last Anglo-Saxon king.
  • 1001

    Bewoulf XI Century (1001-1100 AD)

    • It is the oldest surviving Anglo-Saxon epic poem.
    • Author unknown
    • Probably composed by a single author for a Christian audience in Anglo-Saxon England between the 8th and the 11th centuries.
    • Stylistic features: fate and destiny rule man's life, bravey of the hero, loyalty, conflict between good and evil, Christian values.
    • God's will is identical to fate.
  • 1066

    The Norman Conquest 1066 AD

    • They were Vikings settled in northern France. Led by Wiliam Duke of Normandy.
    • 1066 illiam invaded Britain and defeated Harold II at Hastings (Bayeux Tapestry)
    • William I (1006-1087) was crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas day of the same year. Since then nearly all English monarchs have been crowned in the abbey and some also buried there.