What did Iron Age people make?

Iron Age Britain was a land of many different tribes (a group of people who share a common culture, religion and language), each with their own leaders and traditions.

The Iron Age people were skilled farmers and talented craftsmen. They made beautifully decorated items like jewellery, as well as tools and weapons for warriors.

The discovery of these items has helped archaeologists (someone who studies objects and places from the past) understand how they lived and what they made.

Created in partnership with English Heritage

Important words on what Iron Age people made.

During the Iron Age, Britain was divided into different tribes (a larger group of people who share a common culture, religion and language).

Each one had their own leader and traditions.

Many of these groups shared similar languages, religious beliefs and art styles with people who lived across western Europe.

This included Iron Age people who lived in modern-day France, Belgium, Germany and Italy.

Some people call Iron Age Britons ‘The Celts’.

The word ‘Celt’ comes from the Ancient Greeks who called these people Keltoi.

Though that is not a name that they called themselves.

Farming was important during the Iron Age.

People grew their own crops to make food.

They grew crops like wheat, oats and barley.

They used cattle to make milk and cheese and for meat and leather.

Cattle also helped them to farm by pulling ploughs and carts.

People laid out boundaries (a line or fence which marks the edge of a piece of land) around their fields with fences made of wooden stakes.

The remains of the boundaries can still be seen on aerial photographs today.

Long ditches and enclosures (a boundary made to keep animals together) were built to help keep cattle and to make fields where the cows could graze.

People also used horses for riding, to pull carts and for fighting in battles.

Iron Age Britons made decorated weapons, as well as jewellery such as brooches and glass beads.

They made personal belongings, like highly polished bronze mirrors and bone combs.

The harnesses and fittings for their horses and chariots (a two wheeled cart pulled by a horse) were highly decorative.

Art and craft

Things were often decorated with curly or swirling patterns and animals, birds or plants.

This type of decorative craftsmanship is often called ‘Celtic art’ or ‘La Tène art’.

La Tène is a place in Switzerland where many of these things have been found.

Jewellery included bracelets, necklaces (or neck-rings), and brooches.

There were many goldsmiths (a person who makes gold items like jewellery) in late Iron Age Britain.

Weapons and armour

Long swords - These were useful for cutting and slashing. Daggers were for close range combat. These would likely have been carried in decorated scabbards (like a case) made of bronze, wood or leather.

Spear or javelins - These were used for throwing at the enemy at a distance. A shield made of wood or leather was used for protection.

Helmets and shields - These protected the wearer from slashing swords, spears and arrows.

Neck-rings or ‘torc’ - A warrior would wear this metal (iron, bronze or gold) ring around their neck. It was a status symbol.

Pottery

Some Iron Age potters made beautifully decorated clay pots using a potter’s wheel and special kilns (A very hot oven used for burning, baking or drying something) with bellows (A device which creates a stream of air through a narrow tube).

This helped them to change the colour of the clay they were using.

They decorated their pottery by painting them or stamping them with pictures of animals.

They even made pots which looked metallic by adding a material called graphite to the clay!

Iron Age people in the north of Britain didn’t make a lot of pottery. They made bowls from wood or metal. These were much harder to make, but they were very strong.

The remains of different pottery and bowls have been studied by archaeologists which have helped them to understand how the Iron Age people lived, made their food and how they may have made their items.

Coinage

Around 150BC, the Iron Age people began to use coins that were brought to Britain from Europe. Around 80BC, Iron Age people began to make their own coins using a process called minting. This was tricky and required a lot of skill.

Different tribes made their own coins and decorated them with different designs, like horses, chariots and powerful leaders.

Coinage (a set of coins which have different values) became more important in Iron Age Britain as more people began to trade.

They were used to buy items and show the wealth and power of different tribes.

Archaeologists have discovered many different coins which have helped them to understand more about the different Iron Age tribes and their people.

Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.

• Why do you think we know so much about what the Iron Age people made?

• How is what the Iron Age people made similar or different to items we make today?

• What can we learn about the Iron Age people based on the things they made?

Are you a parent, carer or teacher?

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