Where do we get our information on the people's of pre-Roman Britain?
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6en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_Britain: Because no literature of pre-Roman Britain has survived, its history, culture and way of life are known mainly through archaeological finds. The same article also mentiones outside (Roman) accounts, e.g. Avienus quoting "Ora Maritima" text and Avienus's records– DVKDec 2, 2011 at 19:36
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You might want to take a look at the sources for the book: Death Of Kings.– RussellMar 17, 2012 at 14:38
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1 Answer
If the historian Tacitus simply provides too much of a Roman perspective and/or is too late in history (1st century AD), then archaeological evidence is likely the best source (as DVK previously commented).
The people of Iron Age Britain
Demography The Roman historian described the Britons as being descended from people who had arrived from the continent, comparing the Caledonians (in modern-day Scotland) to their Germanic neighbours; the Silures of Southern Wales to Iberian settlers; and the inhabitants of Southeast Britannia to Gaulish tribes. This migrationist view long informed later views of the origins of the British Iron Age and, indeed, the making of the modern nations. Linguistic evidence inferred from the surviving Celtic languages in Northern and Western Great Britain at first appeared to support this idea, and the changes in material culture which archaeologists observed during later prehistory were routinely ascribed to a new wave of invaders.
Other Resources:
- English Heritage Discover the Past (The Iron Age town of Calleva)
- Iron Age Britain (English Heritage)
Author: Barry Cunliffe
