---
title: "Prehistoric Britain"
description: "How life in Britain changed from the Stone Age to the Iron Age: farming began, new tool materials spread, and settlements and trade changed. Archaeologists use objects and sites to study these periods"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/prehistoric-britain-mt_XdvTpVdWIk
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/prehistoric-britain-mt_XdvTpVdWIk.md
retrieved: 2026-10-19
---

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# Prehistoric Britain

How life in Britain changed from the Stone Age to the Iron Age: farming began, new tool materials spread, and settlements and trade changed. Archaeologists use objects and sites to study these periods. Older materials continued in use alongside newer ones.

Subject: History · Area: Britain Through Time · Ages 7 to 11
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/prehistoric-britain-mt_XdvTpVdWIk

## Ready when they can

- Place the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age in order and describe one big change across them (e.g., from hunting to farming)
- Explain what a site like Skara Brae or Stonehenge tells us about how prehistoric people lived
- Explain why we depend on objects and sites rather than writing to learn about prehistoric Britain

## Lesson: Prehistoric Britain: Stone, Bronze, and Iron

An old tool is evidence of past life. Britain's prehistoric ages run in this order: Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age. The names come from tool materials. Early Stone Age people hunted and gathered food. Farming began later in the Stone Age, about 6,000 years ago. People grew crops and kept animals. New materials did not make older ones disappear.

*(drawing: The three ages, in order: Stone, then Bronze, then Iron.)*

**Example.** Skara Brae is a Stone Age village in Orkney. Its stone beds and shelves give clues about sleeping and storing things. At Stonehenge, a prehistoric stone circle, people raised huge standing stones in a circle. Moving and lifting them needed planning and teamwork. Houses and monuments tell us different things about past life.

Prehistory means the time before written records. We have no diaries from the people who built Skara Brae or Stonehenge. Archaeologists study bones, tools, pots and buildings for clues. These clues do not tell us every detail of a person's life.

**Tip.** An object can give clues about its material and use. One clue alone may not tell you its age.

**Recap.** Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age. Objects and sites help us learn about life before written records.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Evidence from the past](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/evidence-from-the-past-mt_9REmUc8r4D)
- [Past Events and Change](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/past-events-and-change-mt_wy086IHQ0G)

## Opens up

- [Roman Britain and What It Left](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/roman-britain-and-what-it-left-mt_tPhLD6HhjL)