2200-800 BC Bronze Age

The exceptionally varied landscapes of northern England incorporate lowland valleys, flatlands, forests, moors and mountains. The Pennine mountain range runs from north to south, splitting the region into two areas with different outlooks. The west looks onto the Irish Sea, the east onto the North Sea – both giving extensive opportunities for long-distance maritime contact.

During the early phases of the Bronze Age, settlement and agriculture expanded into the uplands from lower altitudes – many traces of Bronze Age settlement survive undisturbed on the high moors. In the Early Bronze Age the dead were buried beneath stone and earth mounds which were mainly dotted across the landscape but could be concentrated in clusters as seen on the Yorkshire Wolds.

Certain types of pots and bronze metalwork such as ‘Yorkshire Vases’ and ‘Yorkshire’ socketed axes seem to be characteristic of northern England. Examples found elsewhere may represent exports or strong cultural influences. The restricted availability of jet, found in Britain only at Whitby, on the east coast, also gave the region a special significance, especially during the Early Bronze Age when jet jewellery was desirable. However, local variations in the archaeology of Bronze Age northern England, and particularly to either side of the Pennines, suggest that communities would have identified with smaller territories within the region.