About this site This site is about the Iron Age Celts who lived in Western Europe from about the 5th century BC to the first century AD - the early Celts.
The site is for use both at school and at home and is aimed primarily at KS2 children (aged 7 - 11), their teachers and their parents. The emphasis is on facilitating experiential learning to help children enter the world of the Iron Age Celts at their level of understanding, in line with the National Curriculum. We would urge you to visit an Iron Age location, to encourage role-play and to order a box of objects from the Museum for classes to handle and discuss.
A general point which cannot be over-emphasised is how little evidence of the Iron Age survives today. Most of the surviving documentary evidence was written by the Romans - from a Roman perspective. Material evidence is also thin on the ground, consisting mainly of metal objects. Children need to understand that the history of this era was created using supposition, imagination and reconstruction.
Site contents The light-hearted cartoon Games and Storiesare purely fictitious. They require Flash 5 (see Help, bottom left of the page) and as sound is important you will also need speakers or headphones to get the most out of them. Each of these interactive activities begins with an artefact from the bog and (with the exception of Dream for a Druid) ends with a printout activity:
In the roundhouse
Build a hillfort
Design a torc
Weave a story
Dream for a druid
The smartest warrior
The war chariot
Romans rule
Create a Celtic cartoon (you might try writing the speech bubbles in Welsh)
The Fact filecomprises some 2,000 words with photographs of Iron Age objects and a Web Guide. Fact File sections:
Who are the Celts?
The Evidence
Homes
Metalwork
Clothes and appearance
Warriors
Religion & belief
Roman Rule
The clickable Where in Wales map shows the cream of Wales Iron Age sites and attractions. This section includes descriptions and photos of places to visit.
Your Celtic Craft is a gallery of Iron Age look-alikes sent in by members of the public: "Here's one I made earlier" stills as inspiration for your own Art & Craft. As even the best display will need taking down eventually, why not post us the photographs (hard copies) as a more lasting record of the children's work? Youll find our address on the craft index.
You could try our Quizbefore and after your project to see if your knowledge of the Iron Age improves through using the Iron Age Celts website.
