Who were the first Britons, and what sort of world did they occupy? In A History of Ancient Britain, much-loved historian Neil Oliver turns a spotlight on the very beginnings of the story of Britain; on the first people to occupy these islands and their battle for survival. There has been human habitation in Britain, regularly interrupted by Ice Ages, for the best part of a million years. The last retreat of the glaciers 12,000 years ago brought a new and warmer age and with it, one of the greatest tsunamis recorded on Earth which struck the north-east of Britain, devastating the population and flooding the low-lying plains of what is now the North Sea. The resulting island became, in time, home to a diverse range of cultures and peoples who have left behind them some of the most extraordinary and enigmatic monuments in the world. Through what is revealed by the artefacts of the past, Neil Oliver weaves the epic story - half a million years of human history up to the departure of the Roman Empire in the Fifth Century AD. It was a period which accounts for more than ninety-nine per cent of humankind's presence on these islands. It is the real story of Britain and of her people.

Based on new archaeological finds, this book introduces a novel rethinking of the whole of British history before the coming of the Romans. So many extraordinary archaeological discoveries (many of them involving the author) have been made since the early 1970s that our whole understanding of British prehistory needs to be updated. So far only the specialists have twigged on to these developments; now, Francis Pryor broadcasts them to a much wider, general audience. Aided by aerial photography, coastal erosion (which has helped expose such coastal sites as Seahenge) and new planning legislation which requires developers to excavate the land they build on, archaeologists have unearthed a far more sophisticated life among the Ancient Britons than has been previously supposed. Far from being the woaded barbarians of Roman propaganda, we Brits had our own religion, laws, crafts, arts, trade, farms, priesthood and royalty. And the Scots, English and Welsh were fundamentally one and the same people.

This highly illustrated, information-packed volume traces the history of the British Isles and its people from prehistory to the present day. Arranged in eight self-contained sections, each dealing with a major historical period, The History of Britain explores both well-known historical events such as the Norman invasions and the execution of Charles I, and lesser-known details like the uprisings in Dark Age Wales and the birth of tabloid newspapers in Victorian Britain. Find out how centuries of invasions and migrations shaped British society and culture; how four proud and fiercely independent territories finally came together to form the United Kingdom; how a small island nation rose to become a global power, controlling the largest empire the world had ever seen; and how that empire was lost and today's modern, multicultural Britain emerged. Chapters include: • Prehistoric Britain • Roman Britain • Invaders and Settlers • Medieval Britain • Early Modern Britain • Georgian Britain • Victorian Britain • The Twentieth Century and Beyond

Comparative study of the writings of four medieval historians who described the mass settlements of Germanic tribes in Britain.

British & Irish history.

Did giants really exist in the British Isles? Do the legends of them building Stonehenge hold any reality? Why does the establishment deny they ever existed? Hugh Newman and Jim Vieira, best selling authors of Giants On Record: America's Hidden History, Secrets in the Mounds and the Smithsonian Files (2015), and stars of History Channel's Search for the Lost Giants, investigate these claims and take a deep dive into obscure newspaper accounts, antiquarian diaries, archaeological reports, local history records, newly-translated ancient texts, academic papers, new scientific reports and written evidence from hundreds of sources going back over a 4,000-year period to uncover the truth. Over 250 accounts of the remains of giant human skeletons ranging from 7 feet to 21 feet have been found in the archaeological and historical record, often measured and commented on by famous scientists, scholars and writers at the time. A wealth of folklore from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland talks about sophisticated cultures of giants with supernatural powers and advanced technology who had control over thunder and lightning, as witnessed when their tombs were disturbed by later generations. They were often high kings and queens who were master geomancers, surveyors, architects and astronomers who ruled from their mountaintop fortresses--whilst others were cannibals with violent tendencies who enjoyed throwing gigantic rocks across the landscape! The authors take a close look at these age-old stories and the remarkable skeletal discoveries to reveal for the first time an important lost chapter of British history. Includes an 8-page color section.