Peoples of Britain 2
By Dr Simon James
First peoples
The first 'Britons' were an ethnically mixed group
From the arrival of the first modern humans - who were hunter-gatherers, following the retreating ice of the Ice Age northwards - to the beginning of recorded history is a period of about 100 centuries, or 400 generations. This is a vast time span, and we know very little about what went on through those years; it is hard even to fully answer the question, 'Who were the early peoples of Britain?', because they have left no accounts of themselves.
'Throughout prehistory there were myriad small-scale societies and many petty 'tribal' identities...'
We can, however, say that biologically they were part of the Caucasoid population of Europe. The regional physical stereotypes familiar to us today, a pattern widely thought to result from the post-Roman Anglo-Saxon and Viking invasions - red-headed people in Scotland, small, dark-haired folk in Wales and lanky blondes in southern England - already existed in Roman times. Insofar as they represent reality, they perhaps attest the post-Ice Age peopling of Britain, or the first farmers of 6,000 years ago.
From an early stage, the constraints and opportunities of the varied environments of the islands of Britain encouraged a great regional diversity of culture. Throughout prehistory there were myriad small-scale societies, and many petty 'tribal' identities, typically lasting perhaps no more than a few generations before splitting, merging or becoming obliterated. These groups were in contact and conflict with their neighbours, and sometimes with more distant groups - the appearance of exotic imported objects attest exchanges, alliance and kinship links, and wars.
NB2
- Homework: wk.p. 13,14. Grammar, unit 10. Photocopy, unit 46
- Review of irregular verbs. A game :three in a row
- Speaking : simple past in the topic of holidays , unit 48, most common verbs used. a composition about your last holidays must come out of this activity.
- Grammar: Units 11,12,more simple past in negative and interrogative.
_Listening: holidays. We only had time to do the first two activities ,so when we finigh I´ll post them here.
- Speaking: How to get a speech ready. Tips to make a coherent ,logical speech.
- Homework: Get the speech ready and grammar, units 11,12
NI2
- Homework: St.B. p.19 Revise and check, Grammar, units 99,100
-Grammar : Adverbs. unit 103. And two games on adverbs and some rules about their position
- vocabulary: Unit 2 "Health and Medicine" St.B.p. 147. We saw all the activities on this page and devoted quite a long time to see some differences, e.d. feel sick- be sick, hurts_aches.... A checking-your-partner activity to see how much he remembers.
- Speaking: St.B.p. 20 "Are you a Hypochondriac?" We had fun with this exercise.
_Homework: Grammar, unit 103,110.