Iron Age beliefs in Britain
The birth of the new period of human history saw the elevation of the Iron Age people and the outgrowth of changes and developments among their traditions were cited and marked their settlements. The spread of Iron Age civilization had already been established after improvements of livestock and land farming had been adopted by the natives; construction of defensive structures has impressed many visitors, the presence of hillforts, ditches, and roundhouses became the symbol of harmonic stability in the people of Iron Age Britain. The indications of wealth in the latter phase of Iron Age gave ways in building wide markets and centres that had been used as defences against Roman attack. Others have been re-used by later cultures evolving from any part of Europe and other relative countries.
Chariot warriors had disappeared and political power took its place from those who had military power which resulted in the diminishing of central government giving chance for bureaucracy and priesthood to take place. The choice for religion defined by priesthoods and monarchs had fell into confusion among the Iron Age people whereas, the Empire had been disintegrated into groups of warring states. People started to seek new definitions and meaning to replace those who disappeared. They began to come closer again when a new approach to religion rose simultaneously among various people of Europe.
Dominant worship of various gods and goddesses among religious groups favourably inclined. They considered god as the most powerful force to be praised in terms of sacrifice and ceremony. Some gods remarkably they believed were smoke of the burning cows, screams of the captivated enemy being tortured to death, smell of the roasted chicken, the hearts that had been torn out of prisoners of war and the splash of human blood on their altar. Praising false gods sometimes fooled them which turned into dangerously believed procedures such as a mistake on the ritual of sacrifice may bring floods and windstorms that would destroy their crops. Likewise, most of the rituals were entrusted into the hands of the professionally trained priesthood so as not to make mistakes, because gods did not care what they did as long as they got what they really wanted to do.
Times came when ditches were unused whilst grain storage pits were converted into burial homes for horses, dogs and ravens which had been discovered to be part of their burial aspect. Professional priesthood collapsed together with the empire, that would have made most people start to think how their gods protected them and wonder how the universe really worked. As an individual being, they almost could not find a way on how they could bring order to the world that had been falling apart by false beliefs. It is not god who is responsible for everyone's actions and one would not expect all individuals to behave ethically and morally.
There were no sufficient formulas to examine religious belief during this time and it is not adequate to conclude that religion brought mankind to rise above animals with the ability to distinguish right from wrong, good and evil. This ability caused religious beliefs to split up, some would believe and others would disregard it. The Iron Age takes a long step with vigour, moving forwards to freedom and dignity of individuals regardless of disruption and death of era.
Original Authors: Phil Post
Edit Update Authors: M.Harris
Updated On: 12/05/2008
