British history XI

Iron Age

Iron Age 750 BC - AD 42

This period of history has traditionally been described in terms of invasion, immigration and colonisation. It is certain that peoples from the continent - Celts, Gauls, and Belgae to name a few - settled in Britain during this period. However, to call the movements of these people 'invasions' or 'colonisations' might be misleading. The peoples of Britain at this time were diverse in origin and ethnicity and the 'invaders' of one generation were the Britons of the next.

Trade and inter-marriage probably led to relatively fast absorption into British society. We should also be cautious when considering the effects of these movements of people. 'Colonisation' evokes nineteenth-century examples of dominant societies imposing their own culture and administration upon that of the colonised country. This level of infiltration was simply not possible or practical in the Britain of the first century BC, nor should we imagine it was desired.

Current thinking estimates Britain's population during this period at upwards of a million. To make a significant cultural impact upon a population of this size (given the lack of communication networks) would have required a serious and concerted effort. Cultural practices spread through contact with newcomers and battles occurred where there was hostility between tribes, but these should not be confused with twentieth-century notions of conquest and colonisation.