Where the facts come from
Every factual claim on this site links to its source. This is the full list.
How we checked
Each fact was written alongside its source. We read every source page on 29 Oct 2026 and saved the sentences we rely on; our build script then checks, for every fact, that the key words and figures really appear in that saved text. 120 of 120 checks passed when this site was last built (checked 29 Oct 2026). Where we couldn’t read a source, we left the claim out. We quote short phrases only, and never reproduce anyone else’s images.
Figures that change
What’s on display, which site is “the earliest”, and what the national curriculum says can all change as new finds are made and policies are updated. Facts like these are marked “checked 29 Oct 2026”.
What we leave out
This is a history and archaeology site for all ages, so we keep a balanced tone and leave out gory detail. Where experts aren’t sure (what stood in the Aubrey Holes, why people left Skara Brae) we say so rather than guess. Our drawings are simplified, not reconstructions. Where sources disagree, we show both rather than choose silently.
English Heritage (2)
- English Heritage: History of Stonehenge (14 facts)
- English Heritage: History of Grime’s Graves (20 facts)
Historic Environment Scotland (1)
Natural History Museum (2)
- Natural History Museum: Cheddar Man, Mesolithic Britain’s blue-eyed boy (16 facts)
- Natural History Museum: First Britons (18 facts)
University of York (1)
South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (1)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Stone Age (11 facts)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Neolithic (11 facts)
GOV.UK (Department for Education) (1)
When sources disagree
Where sources give different figures, we show all of them, with links, and say how we handle it.
When did farming reach Britain?
- English Heritage: farming came to Britain with migrants from the Continent about 4100 BC. English Heritage: History of Grime’s Graves
- Britannica: the slow change to farming across Europe was not complete in Britain and Scandinavia until after 3000 BC. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Neolithic
How we handle it: English Heritage dates the arrival of farming to about 4100 BC. Britannica describes the whole change across Europe as not complete in Britain and Scandinavia until after 3000 BC. One is about arrival, the other about completion, so we give both and use English Heritage’s date for Britain.
When did the Stone Age end?
- English Heritage: the first metal objects in Britain appeared about 2400 BC, starting the Bronze Age (about 2300–800 BC). English Heritage: History of Grime’s Graves
- South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology: Ötzi lived in the Copper Age, “a period of the late Neolithic”, and the coming of copper marked the start of the Bronze Age. South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology: Ötzi the Iceman
- The Neolithic is the last stage of the Stone Age; in Europe and Asia the Bronze Age comes next. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Neolithic
How we handle it: It depends on how you define it. English Heritage dates the first metal objects in Britain to about 2400 BC and the Bronze Age to about 2300–800 BC. The Ötzi museum calls the Copper Age a period of the late Neolithic. We show both and use English Heritage’s dates for Britain.
How old is Star Carr?
- Natural History Museum: Star Carr is about 1,000 years older than Cheddar Man, who lived about 10,000 years ago. Natural History Museum: Cheddar Man, Mesolithic Britain’s blue-eyed boy
- University of York (2010): the Star Carr house dates to at least 8,500 BC, and a tree trunk there is 11,000 years old. University of York: Stone Age remains are Britain’s earliest house (10 August 2010)
How we handle it: The Natural History Museum puts Star Carr about 1,000 years before Cheddar Man, so roughly 11,000 years ago. The University of York’s 2010 news story dates the house to at least 8,500 BC (about 10,500 years ago) and a tree trunk there to 11,000 years. The figures are close but not identical, so we quote each with its source.
When did the Old Stone Age end?
- Britannica: the Palaeolithic runs to about 8000 BC. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Stone Age
- English Heritage: pine posts near Stonehenge were put up in the Mesolithic between 8500 and 7000 BC. English Heritage: History of Stonehenge
How we handle it: Britannica gives about 8000 BC as a general end date for the Palaeolithic, but English Heritage describes Mesolithic posts near Stonehenge from 8500 to 7000 BC. Period boundaries differ from place to place, so we don’t merge the figures.
How old is Cheddar Man?
- When he was found, some claimed he was 40,000 to 80,000 years old; radiocarbon dating from the 1970s onwards put him at about 10,000 years. Natural History Museum: Cheddar Man, Mesolithic Britain’s blue-eyed boy
How we handle it: Early claims of 40,000 to 80,000 years were later replaced by radiocarbon dates of about 10,000 years. We use the radiocarbon date and mention the old claim as an example of how evidence changes.