A History of Ancient Britain

Britain is extraordinarily rich in prehistory: monuments of stone, fragments of domestic life and the remains of people who walked the land thousands of years ago.

Together, they add up to an amazing tale of survival, technological innovation and revolution, which laid the foundations of modern society. Now, former archaeologist Neil Oliver travels the British Isles to uncover this remarkable story. Tapping into the latest scientific detective work and experimental archaeology, at the frontier of cutting-edge research, he gets under the skin of this mysterious world and the lives of those who inhabited it.

Discover how our ancestors emerged from the last ice age; the origins of agriculture in Britain; and the tipping points that changed the course of history. Investigating famous sites anew, as well as little known ones (which hold some of the biggest secrets), Neil travels to Brittany to discover Carnac, where farmers and hunter-gathers clashed 7000 years ago, and to Ireland, where he finds the world’s most extensive Stone Age system of fields and walls, hidden under a metre of peat bog.

Over four hour-long episodes packed with insights, this ambitious series brings to life the beginnings of civilisation – in art and religion, homes and work, status and trade. Centre stage is the land itself, in all its spiritual and cultural glory.

Episode 1

As the ice begins to melt, a few hundred intrepid groups of hunter-gatherers colonise the land. Gradually, the climate warms, and the hostile steppe is replaced by a blanket of forest. The seas rise and Britain becomes an island.

Episode 2

Migrants from continental Europe introduce a new way of life: agriculture. Nomadic life is replaced by settlement. The population increases dramatically. A new demand for tombs and monuments inspires the development of complex skills and hierarchies, and better control of fire leads to the creation of pottery.

Episode 3

The land, and the stone that comes from it, is viewed as sacred. Stonehenge is the centre of this landscape, a place where the living can commune with the dead, and through which the recently dead can pass into the world of the ancestors.

Episode 4

Metal comes to Britain from Europe. The art of using fire and of working metal is a religious activity. The first swords appear and warriors challenge the shaman class. Wealth, imports and exports create new social forces. After thousands of years, Stonehenge is abandoned.