Hello, my name's Mrs. Casey.

What's your name? I am so excited to join you today for this history lesson.

Today's lesson is called What historians have learnt About Iron Age Britain.

Historians use clues a bit like a detective to find out what happened in the past.

Should we find out a bit more? Let's go.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain how historians and archaeologists have used lots of sources together to try and understand what life in Iron Age Britain was like.

Here are some of the key words we are going to be using in today's lesson.

Archaeologist.

Someone who discovers and researches items that remain from the past is an archaeologist.

Artefacts.

An artefact is an item from the past made by humans.

A source.

something that remains from the past, which archaeologists and historians ask questions of is called a source.

We are going to be thinking about asking questions today and looking at different sources.

Today's lesson has two parts.

What has survived from the Iron Age? How do we know what the Iron Age was like? Archaeologists and historians have learnt lots about Iron Age Britain from artefacts that have been found.

Archaeologists often dig in the ground to find things that have been buried.

Can you see the archaeologists in this photograph? Artefact was one of our key words, can you remember? An artefact is an object from the past that was made by humans.

What a great start.

You've been listening so carefully, well done.

Let's check what we've learnt so far.

Here is a true or false.

Is it true or false? Historians dig, discover, and study artefacts.

Pause the video and tell the person next to you whether you think it is true or false.

That statement is false.

Is it false? Because A, archaeologists dig, discover, and study artefacts, which are items that were made by humans in the past.

Or B, artists dig, discover, and study artefacts, which are items that were made by humans in the past.

Who was it that discovers and studies artefacts by digging for them? That's right, it's A, archaeologists.

Well done.

Archaeologists have learnt about Iron Age agriculture, that's farming, from tools that have been discovered in the ground, such as the ard plough, The ard plough was used to break up soil for planting seeds.

Can you see in the photo here? It was mainly made from wood with an iron tool on the end to break up that soil.

Sometimes it was pushed by humans, sometimes it was pulled along by cattle or horses.

A sickle is also an Iron Age farming tool.

It was used to cut down the wheat when it was ready for harvesting.

Can you see it here in the photo? Archaeologists have also learnt about Iron Age warfare from artefacts that have been discovered such as the Wetwang chariot.

A chariot was a two-wheeled vehicle that was pulled by horses and often used during battles to transport the warriors to the battlefield.

Here is a photo of an iron wheel from a chariot in the Wetwang discovery in 2001.

Also, lots of Iron Age weapons have been found such as this spearhead here.

Fantastic listening.

Let's check what we've learnt.

Which two artefacts taught archaeologists about Iron Age agriculture? Remember, agriculture is the process of farming.

A, the ard plough.

B, the Wetwang chariot.

C, the iron sickle.

Pause the video and talk to the person next to you.

Well done.

The ard plough and the iron sickle were both artefacts that taught archaeologists about agriculture.

The Wetwang chariot wheel also taught archaeologists about the Iron Age, but not about farming.

The Wetwang chariot was used in warfare and battles.

Archaeologists have also learnt about Iron Age houses from earthworks of hillforts and evidence of roundhouses in the ground.

Here's a photo of a hillfort earthworks.

You can still see in this photograph of the hillfort earthworks where the earth was moved to create the ramparts around the hillfort and where the Celts were living in the settlement.

Most Iron Age buildings were made from wood, so very little has survived.

However, archaeologists are able to study the soil and find clues from the ground.

Here is a reconstructed roundhouse.

This is what archaeologists believe Celtic houses were like.

Archaeologists have also learnt about Celtic art and culture from artefacts that have been found, such as the Battersea Shield here, which was found in the River Thames.

And this torc which was found in a field when a farmer was ploughing.

You can see the very distinctive Celtic art style with the swirls.

These two pieces also show how skilled the Iron Age craftspeople were.

Archaeologists have also learnt about how the Iron Age people cared about their appearance because of the artefacts like iron mirrors that have been discovered in Iron Age graves buried alongside their owners.

The Lindow Man, an Iron Age body that was found preserved in the Lindow peat bogs also shows that Iron Age people cut their hair and beards and looked after their nails and their teeth.

Super listening, everyone.

Well done.

Let's check what we've learnt.

Complete the following sentences correctly, using the same key word.

Can you remember what our key words were? That's right.

Archaeologist, artefact, and source.

Which keyword do you think is missing from these sentences? Number one, the Battersea Shield and the Snettisham Torc are, that taught archaeologists about Celtic art.

Two, the Iron Age mirror is an, that showed archaeologists that Iron Age people cared about their appearance.

Number three, many, have been found near earthworks of hillforts.

Pause the video to decide which keyword fits into these sentences, archaeologists, artefacts, or sources? Well done, it's artefacts.

The Battersea Shield and Snettisham Torc are artefacts that taught archaeologists about Celtic art.

The iron mirror is an artefact that showed archaeologists that Iron Age people cared about their appearance.

Many artefacts have been found near earthworks of hillforts.

Archaeologists have also learnt about trade during the Iron Age through the discovery of Iron Age golden coins and by looking at the origins of materials used in artefacts.

For example, coral was used to decorate the Wetwang chariot that was found in Britain.

But we know coral doesn't come from Britain.

Archaeologists and historians have used artefacts alongside other sources such as ancient Roman and ancient Greek writing about Iron Age Britain to piece together clues about Iron Age life.

It's a little bit like a big puzzle.

Do you like doing puzzles? They're lots of fun.

The Celtic people did not write about themselves, so historians only have written evidence from the ancient Romans and the ancient Greeks that were recorded during later Iron Age.

However, the Celts were often viewed as the enemy as they fought against the Roman conquest of Britain.

Therefore, what has been written about them may not be true.

Some of the writers may not have even ever visited Britain.

But most written evidence suggests that the Celts were fierce warriors.

Some of the famous ancient Roman writers such as Julius Caesar, wrote about the Celts during the Iron Age.

Here are some of the things they said.

The Celts wear brightly coloured clothes and grow long moustaches.

The Celts paint themselves blue and scream as they charge into battle.

Gosh, that must have been scary.

Let's check what we've learnt so far.

Who wrote about the Celtic people living in Britain during the Iron Age? Was it A, the Celtic warriors, B, the ancient Romans, C, the ancient Greeks, D, the Celtic women.

Pause the video and have a think.

Not the Celtic Warriors, they didn't write about Iron Age Britain.

The ancient Romans and the ancient Greeks.

Did you get it right? Great job, well done.

And now it's time for our first task.

Match the Iron Age artefact to the topic that archaeologists learn about by studying it.

An iron sickle, the golden torc, an iron mirror, golden coins, and an iron spearhead.

What did historians learn from each of these artefacts? Pause the video and have a go at our first task.

Well done.

The golden torc taught archaeologists and historians about Celtic art.

The iron sickle taught them about agriculture.

The mirror taught us about personal hygiene.

The golden coins gave archaeologists and historians lots of clues about trade.

And the iron spearhead taught us about warfare.

Well done, everyone.

Next, we'll be moving on to the second part of our lesson today.

How do we know what the Iron Age was like? Archaeologists discover and research artefacts from the past.

Historians study written history and what has been learnt from the artefacts.

Here is a photo of archaeologists at work in the field, carefully digging in the ground to find the artefacts.

Here is a historian at work looking at the artefacts and reading about them.

Can you match the description to the correct job? They're very similar, but not quite the same.

That's right.

Archaeologists discover and research artefacts from the past.

Historians study written history and what has been learnt from artefacts.

A source is something that remains from the past.

That was one of our key words, do you remember? Archaeologists and historians ask questions about these sources.

What was it used for? What is it made from? Who used it? How was it made? These are just some of the types of questions that historians might ask.

There are lots of different types of sources that historians and archaeologists use, including artefacts, artwork, buildings, and written evidence.

They don't just use one source, but lots of them together.

It's like piecing together a giant puzzle to work out what has happened.

Let's check what we've learnt so far about sources.

Identify whether each statement is true or false.

Indicate your answer with a tick for true or cross for false.

A source is something that remains from the past.

Archaeologists and historians ask questions about sources.

There are different types of sources.

Archaeologists and historians usually only use one source to get ideas about the past.

Pause the video and discuss which of these are true and which are false.

Well done, some great discussions.

A is true.

A source is something that remains from the past.

B is true.

Archaeologists and historians ask questions about sources.

C is also true.

There are different types of sources, such as artefacts, written evidence.

D, archaeologists and historians usually only use one source to get ideas about the past.

That one's false.

They use lots of different sources to build up that big picture.

By using these sources together, archaeologists and historians have been able to piece together what Iron Age Britain was probably like.

For example, clues such as the plough and carbonised grain, plus written evidence from the Romans all together tell historians that it's very likely Iron Age people grew wheat crops.

The Wetwang chariot dig, plus Iron Age spearheads found at the burial site, and writings about the Celts riding chariots, all together tell archaeologists that's very likely Iron Age people rode chariots into battle and launch spears at their enemies.

A good explanation of what historians and archaeologists have learnt about Iron Age Britain will focus on how the sources have been used and what evidence there is.

This is a great tip when writing about history.

Let's check what we've learnt.

Choose the correct word to complete each sentence about how archaeologists and historians learn about the past.

Number one, archaeologists and historians use lots of or only one source.

Two, a good explanation of the past will avoid or focus on how sources have been used and what evidence there is.

Circle the correct words to complete the sentences.

Pause the video and have a go.

Well done.

Archaeologists and historians use lots of sources.

A good explanation of the past will focus on how the sources have been used and what evidence there is.

Well done, everyone.

You have listened so carefully and done so well today.

Now it's time for our second task.

Alex and Sam are explaining what archaeologists have learnt about the Iron Age.

Read the statements and tell your learning partner which is a stronger explanation and why.

Alex said, from looking at the Battersea Shield and the Snettisham Torc archaeologists learnt that the Celts were skilled metalworkers and craftspeople.

Sam says, archaeologists know that Celtic people were skilled metalworkers and craftspeople.

Remember, we are looking for which is the stronger explanation and why.

Pause the video and have a go at the task.

Well done, everyone.

Alex has given a stronger explanation as he has focused on the sources the archaeologists have used.

Alex used the examples of the Battersea Shield and the Snettisham Torc as sources to prove his point.

Let's summarise what we've learnt so far.

Different types of artefacts have been found from the Iron Age.

Artefacts provide lots of clues about what Iron Age Britain was like.

Archaeologists and historians use other sources too, such as earthworks and Roman writings.

Archaeologists and historians usually use evidence from more than one source to form their ideas and understanding of the past.

Excellent work today, everyone.

Well done.

Bye for now.