Introduction
Step back into the Iron Age—on our next EarthWise time travel adventure. It is more than simply stepping back into time for a day, this time with the destination the Glastonbury Lake Village.
This is a huge time jump forward of some 3,500 years from our visit to the Sweet Track. It is well worth keeping this big leap in mind as we explore the Glastonbury Lake Village.
Our exploration will take in the sights and sounds, the smells, the texture, the taste of food, the feel of fabric, of thinking about the rhythm of everyday life. And it is looks beneath the surface, to plumb the depths as it were of technology, of spiritualism and religions, social structure, the environment, the climate—what was life like on all these levels in an Iron Age village in the Avalon marshes.
How EarthWise were the people? In what ways was this expressed and lived? Is this a view born of social construction and utility, or is it tapping into a deeper resonance, an always there and present power or divinity? How does social structure and life bring these views into view or obscure them? It is easy to idealize life in a simpler time before industrialization, before mass population growth. But what was the quality of life like in those long ago Iron Age days?
Come along for this installment of time traveller adventure, to the Glastonbury Lake Village in the Iron Age.
Arriving in Glastonbury Lake Village
We arrive at the village in a dug out canoe . All around us are swampy marshy reeds.The landscape seems to have changed since we last visited this area, to travel the Sweet Track. What are the changes that have occured over time?
As explained at this link: “By the Iron Age conditions were far wetter and dugout canoes replaced track-ways as the main method of transport. The landscape was very different to the one we see today. The River Brue headed north from what is now Glastonbury, passed through the Panborough Gap and joined the River Axe. To the north and south of the islands of Meare and Westhay were two vast raised bogs. To the west was a network of saltwater channels linking “dry” land with the sea; these channels brought in silt and clays which eventually formed a slightly higher coastal belt (these are “the levels”). Iron Age man built their “Lake Villages” in locations to take advantage of these navigations.”
With trackways such as the Sweet Track now a relic of the past, we rely upon a dugout canoe to transport us to the shores of Glastonbury Lake Village.
Coming ashore
When we step out of the canoe, we are greeted by the inhabitants of this village. This link provides a vivid visual representation of what we see as we step from our boat to the village shore.
On the air is the smell of roasting meat. There is an abundant variety of meats being cooked. It is somehow reassuring to to sense we will not go hungry during our visit. Our mouths water at the cooking scents in the air and the potential promise of a feast to come.
Communicating with the villagers
But are we able to communicate with the village inhabitants? What language do they speak?
Here we may run into a communication issue. For it is very likely that the inhabitants of Glastonbury Lake Village speak a form of a Brittonic language known as “common Brittonic”.
But as well prepared time travelers, we have prepared ourselves for this and learned a few necessary phrases so we can try to communicate with the people that we meet on our visit. This seems not only practical and good sense, but polite and good manners as well. This way they know that we are coming for a pleasant visit and not for any other reason.
As we step into the village, we greet the villagers with polite phrases of introduction. We let them know we are visitors and only staying for the day. We are welcomed right away by who appears to be a leader of the village and taken into a nearby roundhouse.
Looking at an Iron Age Forge
It is clear that this is going to be a busy and vibrant visit, and so we walk into the roundhouse, glad to step into a sheltered area, and chat with our hosts, waiting to hear what they can show us as we let them know we are simply curious visitors, not traders, not warriors or invaders. I ask the leader and our host if we can that one thing that is so vital to the Iron Age—the forge. And the leader and host agrees.
We are soon on our way to see a forge, a feat of engineering that contributes to the making of iron and to the utter transformation of the world that we visited when traversing the Sweet Track.
Conclusion
We have only just started our visit in the busy community that is the Glastonbury Lake Village. There is so much more to learn about the forge, and the place that iron, and the ironsmith, hold in the village society. And there is so much more to learn about the daily life there, both in practical measures and in the spiritual meanings and connections with nature. We have more to learn about life in this village. For instance, what role do women have in governance? On what basis is the social fabric of the village constructed?
Our visit is far from over! We will only just begun to learn about the Iron Age in the village. Further exploration in our time travel adventure is to come. We hope you stay with us for the journey!