The Hallaton Treasure and the Romans. Who lived in Britain before the Romans arrived? I am Seren of the Corieltavi tribe. I will tell you about Iron Age.

The Hallaton Treasure and the Romans

Who lived in Britain before the Romans arrived?

“I am Seren of the Corieltavi tribe.

I will tell you about Iron Age life.

The Romans are coming and we must protect our land.”

What was the Iron Age?

It was the period when people used _ _ _ _

for the first time.

What did Iron Age people use iron to make?

When was the Iron Age?

It is different across the world but for

Britain it fell between c. 800 BC and AD 43Do you know what BC and AD mean?

What is the Hallaton Treasure?

Around 2000 years ago, people gathered at a shrine near Hallaton to

worship their gods.

People buried thousands of coins and celebrated with great feasts.

A shrine is an open-air religious site

What was found at Hallaton?

Archaeologists found coins and some silver objects, thousands of pig bones and the

remains of a Roman helmet.

Over 5000 gold and silver coins were found

Coins being excavated from the Iron Age shrine near Hallaton

The oldest Roman coin ever found in Britain was found at Hallaton. It was

made in 211 BC (Before Christ).

What can the Hallaton Treasure tell us?

• The Treasure was buried around the time of the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43

• Iron Age people didn’t read or write and we don’t know much about life in the Iron Age before the Romans arrived

• Iron Age people may have received gifts from the Romans and been on their side

• Iron Age people were making coins and metal objects

• Lots of people were meeting at Hallaton

• The people at Hallaton may have been worried about Romans so asked gods for help by sacrificing things

What was Iron Age life like before the Romans invaded?

•Some Iron Age people were farmers, some were craftsmen who made pots, jewellery and metal tools

•Most Iron Age people lived in roundhouses made of wattle and daub (panels of woven wood andmud used to fill the gaps) with 20–30 members of their family

•The Romans said Iron Age people wore colourful, long woollen clothes

•Iron Age people wore brooches, necklaces and armlets made of bronze and gold

Iron Age people lived in tribes

Can you see the tribe that Seren belonged to?

It covers the area we call the East Midlands

Why did the Romans invade Britain?

We don’t know exactly…

• They had heard from traders that Britain had many riches and wanted to take it’s land and precious metals like iron, silver and gold

• Roman leaders wanted to become more popular amongst Roman people by conquering a new land and making Rome more powerful

What do you think?

Would you have welcomed the Romans or fought them?

• The Romans said that when in battle, Iron Age people painted their skin with blue woad

• They spiked their hair into points and dyed it with limewash

Why might Iron Age people have gone into battle made up like this?

• Iron Age women took part in battles and ruled tribes, for example Boudicca of the Iceni tribe

Iron Age warriors, Dover Museum, Stephen Arnold

Why did Iron Age people make sacrifices to their gods?

• Iron Age people sacrificed valuable items like coins or food to their gods

• Over 300 pigs were eaten or sacrificed at the Hallaton shrine

• Pigs were generally only eaten either at special occasions or by important people

• The Hallaton Treasure may have been buried as sacrifices

What might Iron Age people have been asking their gods for protection from?

Find out more about these words

Limewash

Sacrifice

Settlement

Roundhouse

Tribe

Woad

Armlet

Archaeologist

Shrine

Excavated

Invader