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The Stone Age and the land bridge

Study note

The story of Britain begins in the Stone Age, and the very first people to live here were hunter-gatherers. They were not farmers. Instead they survived by hunting wild animals and gathering plants, fruits and other foods, moving from place to place as the seasons changed.

For most of the Stone Age, Britain was not an island at all. It was connected to the rest of Europe by a land bridge, a strip of dry land that allowed both people and animals to walk across freely from the continent and back again. This is an important detail, because it explains how the earliest peoples and creatures first reached these shores.

Only about 10,000 years ago did this change for good. The land bridge was lost as the Channel formed, and Britain became permanently separated from mainland Europe, turning into the island we know today. Remember the order of events: hunter-gatherers came first, and the islanding of Britain happened roughly 10,000 years ago, long before farming arrived.

Memory tip: Stone Age = hunter-gatherers; Britain became an island about 10,000 years ago.

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Question 1 of 5

What kind of people were the very first to live in Britain?

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Show all questions and answers for The Stone Age and the land bridge(5 questions with explanations)

The Stone Age and the land bridge: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. What kind of people were the very first to live in Britain?

    • Hunter-gatherers
    • Roman soldiers
    • Farmers
    • Anglo-Saxon kings

    Correct answer: Hunter-gatherers

    The first people in Britain were hunter-gatherers during the Stone Age.

  2. 2. About how long ago did Britain become permanently separated from the continent and become an island?

    • About 1,000 years ago
    • About 10,000 years ago
    • About 100,000 years ago
    • About 100 years ago

    Correct answer: About 10,000 years ago

    Britain was separated from mainland Europe by the Channel about 10,000 years ago.

  3. 3. Which of these statements is correct?

    • The first people in Britain were Stone Age hunter-gatherers
    • The first people in Britain were Stone Age farmers

    Correct answer: The first people in Britain were Stone Age hunter-gatherers

    The earliest inhabitants of Britain were hunter-gatherers, not farmers.

  4. 4. For much of the Stone Age, Britain was connected to the continent by a land bridge.

    • True
    • False

    Correct answer: True

    True. A land bridge once joined Britain to mainland Europe during the Stone Age.

  5. 5. What were the first people to live in Britain in the Stone Age?

    • farmers
    • hunter-gatherers
    • merchants
    • blacksmiths

    Correct answer: hunter-gatherers

    The earliest inhabitants of Britain were Stone Age hunter-gatherers.

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