What REALLY Happened to Britain’s Ancient Woodlands?
Ever wondered why Britain lacks the vast, ancient forests seen elsewhere? This video delves into surprising archaeological evidence challenging the myth that modern life alone stripped the UK of its trees. Discover how, far from being a recent loss, Britain's relatively open landscape is an ancient feature, shaped thousands of years ago during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. We explore how early farmers and hunter-gatherers used fire, sophisticated stone tools and megalithic monuments, and even early forms of woodland management like coppicing to clear land and utilise timber, fundamentally altering the environment long before the industrial revolution, creating the managed, historic landscape we see today... Twitter (or X if you’re ill): https://x.com/AdamMIbbotson Instagram / adamibbo Sources: Noble, G. 2017. Woodland in the Neolithic of Northern Europe: The Forest as Ancestor. Muir, T. and Richards, C. (2013) Constructing through discourse: the folklore of stone circles and standing stones in the Northern and Western Isles. Brown, J. (2002) ‘Clearances and Clearings: Deforestation in Mesolithic Neolithic Britain’ Bunting, M. J. (2018) ‘Maps from Mud: Understanding the Prehistoric Environment of Orkney Using Pollen Records and Landscape Modelling Dimbleby, G. W. (1984) ‘Anthropogenic Changes from Neolithic Through Medieval Times’ Innes, J. B. and Blackford, J. J. (2023) ‘Disturbance and Succession in Later Mesolithic Vegetation: Fine Resolution Palynological Investigations in the English Uplands’ Kirkpatrick, J. (2024) ‘A Big History of Land Clearance and Deforestation’ Smith, A. G. et al. (2014) ‘Mesolithic and Neolithic activity and environmental impact on the south-east fen-edge in Cambridgeshire, UK Williams, M. (2016) ‘Deforestation past and present: towards a socio-ecological understanding AND MANY MORE I COULDN'T FIT... #BritishPrehistory #MegalithicMonuments #StoneCircles #Henges #AncientBritain #ArchaeologyUK #PrehistoricBritain #Barrows #NeolithicUK #BronzeAgeUK #AncientMysteries #HistoricSitesUK #HeritageUK #Megaliths #StandingStones #PrehistoricSites #UKHistory #ExploreBritain #AncientStructures #Impossiblemegalith #archaeologicaldiscoveries
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