KS2 History: Bronze Age Britain (animation)

NARRATOR:An incredible new invention has been introduced to Britain.

NARRATOR:Making metal.

BRONZE AGE FATHER:Now, this how we turn rocks into bronze.

BRONZE AGE BOY:That’s magic dad.

BRONZE AGE FATHER:A bronze axe head. That’s real magic.

NARRATOR:Its 4,000 years ago and new people have arrived in Britain bringing lots of new ideas with them.

NARRATOR:Historians call them the Beaker people because of their pottery cups or beakers. But more importantly the Beaker people know how to make metal.

NARRATOR:And metal means stronger, sharper farming tools. So more land can be farmed and crops grown. Now a greater number of people can be fed.

NARRATOR:So what’s happening in our settlement by the river?

BRONZE AGE GIRL:Oh!

BRONZE AGE BOY:Just our luck, our turn to move the animals.

BRONZE AGE GIRL:Yes but at least we’re not down the mines.

NARRATOR:The mines are where Bronze Age people dig for copper and tin to make metal.

NARRATOR:The rocks containing the metal ore are often found in very narrow passageways, so that only small children are able to hack them out.

BRONZE AGE BOY:I bet that bird wished it had a thick coat like sheep.

BRONZE AGE GIRL:Err, me too.

BRONZE AGE BOY:Hmm….Spin the wool round and it makes long string, hold it tight.

BRONZE AGE MOTHER:Hm, I’ve got an idea.

NARRATOR:In the Bronze Age people also made woollen cloth. It’s done by hanging long pieces of yarn vertically from a wooden beam, with weights on the end to keep the yarn straight.

Next, more woollen yarn is woven horizontally in and out of these threads. The ends are then tied up together and woollen cloth was ready. Very useful for making clothes to keep the cold out.

BRONZE AGE MOTHER:This is amazing, I’m so warm.

BRONZE AGE GIRL:And we didn’t need to kill the sheep, so we can still have the sheep’s milk.

BRONZE AGE MOTHER:We must thank the gods when our stone circle is finally finished.

BRONZE AGE FATHER:The last stone goes in tonight.

NARRATOR:Stone circles are places where Bronze Age people gather for religious ceremonies. The stones are carefully positioned to measure the movement of the moon and the rising and setting of the sun.

NARRATOR:But moving the heavy stones to the circle requires clever skilful planning and teamwork.

BRONZE AGE BOY:Heave!.

BRONZE AGE FATHERHeave, heave!.

BRONZE AGE BOYHeave!.

BRONZE AGE FATHER:Can you just get off and help.

BRONZE AGE MOTHER:The last stone, it’s finished.

BRONZE AGE FATHER:We thank the sun.

BRONZE AGE MOTHER:We thank the moon.

BRONZE AGE GIRL:And the water.

BRONZE AGE BOY:Look, over there.

BRONZE AGE BOY:There’s a boat on the river.

NARRATOR:Some traders have arrived from far away wanting to do business.

TRADER:I see you have bronze, but you don’t have this in your land.

TRADER:When you wear amber, everyone will know how important you are.

BRONZE AGE FATHER:Hm, what would you swap for this?

TRADER:A bronze axe?.

BRONZE AGE BOY:But, don’t you already have bronze?.

TRADER:You can never have too much bronze.

NARRATOR:The Bronze Age is the beginning of making metal in Britain.

NARRATOR:Life will never be the same again.