Learning
Companions Series
THE ARCHAEOLOGY BEHIND
BEFORE ENGLAND
Free downloadable educational guides
covering Britain’s story from the first humans
to the Norman Conquest.
Before England Learning Companions
Explore Britain’s Past, One Period at a Time
The Before England Learning Companions are a free series of educational guides exploring the archaeology, discoveries and evidence behind Before England.
Each companion looks at a different period or theme from Britain’s ancient past, helping readers understand not just what happened, but how we know. They are designed for schools, teachers, students, local history groups and anyone who wants to explore the evidence in more detail.
The Learning Companions can be read on their own or alongside Before England. Together, they provide a clear and accessible route into the landscapes, artefacts, scientific discoveries and archaeological debates that shape our understanding of Britain before the Norman Conquest.
The series will be available to download free of charge as each title is completed.
Britain’s First People and the Earliest Evidence
1.The Lower Palaeolithic
Explores Britain’s earliest human occupation from almost one million years ago. Introducing the first stone tools, Ice Age environments, key archaeological sites.
Neanderthals and Ice Age Britain
2.The Middle Palaeolithic
Examines Neanderthal Britain through changing climates, hunting strategies and archaeological discoveries, including caves, stone tools and the evidence for repeated occupation.
Modern Humans and the Return to Britain
3.The Upper Palaeolithic
Follows the return of modern humans after the Last Ice Age, exploring cave art, portable art, hunting camps and Britain’s early modern communities.
Hunter-Gatherers and a Changing Landscape
4.The Mesolithic
Introduces the hunter-gatherers who occupied Britain after the Ice Age, exploring changing forests, rivers, coastlines and the remarkable archaeological evidence preserved beneath modern landscapes..
Farmers, Monuments and the First Communities
5.The Neolithic
Examines the arrival of farming, permanent settlement and monument building, from long barrows and causewayed enclosures to Stonehenge and the great ceremonial landscapes of Britain.
Farming, Communities and the First Landscapes
6.The Bronze Age
Explores the emergence of farming communities, roundhouses, field systems and ceremonial monuments, together with the changing landscapes that characterised Bronze Age Britain.
Hillforts, Tribal Life and the Landscape of Power
7.The Iron Age
Introduces Britain’s hillforts, tribal societies and evolving landscapes, examining settlements, farming, warfare and the archaeological evidence for life before the Roman conquest.
Conquest, Settlement and Life in a Provincial World
8.Roman Britain
Examines the Roman conquest and nearly four centuries of life within the Empire, exploring towns, villas, forts, roads, religion and everyday life through archaeology.
Settlements, Faith and the Forging of Kingdoms
9.Early Anglo-Saxon Britain
Explores the migration period following the end of Roman Britain, tracing settlement, cemeteries, kingdoms and the archaeological evidence for the emergence of Anglo-Saxon England.
Kings, Kingdoms and a Changing Britain
10.Later Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
Follows the growth of powerful kingdoms, Christianity, literacy and royal authority, examining the archaeology of churches, monasteries, sculpture and the making of England.
Raids, Settlements and the Making of England
11.The Viking Age
Examines Viking raids, settlement and the Danelaw through archaeology, revealing how Scandinavian influence transformed politics, trade and everyday life across England.
Invasion, Conquest and a New Order
12.The Norman Conquest
Explores the Norman invasion of AD 1066 and its archaeological legacy, from motte-and-bailey castles and Battle Abbey to the Domesday Book and the reshaping of medieval England.
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