London before London
London 450,000BC to AD50
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Our London Before London exhibition explores the story of the Thames Valley and the people who lived here from 450,000BC to the founding of Londinium in AD50.
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Beginning with a time when London was nothing but tundra, and the local population would fit on a double decker bus, London before London explores the relationship between human communities and their surroundings.
The river Thames is central to this story, and to the lives of the people who lived along its banks. In the centre of the gallery, a spectacular ‘River Wall’ features over 300 objects dredged from its depths – many of them bronze and iron swords laid there to please the gods of the water.
The gallery also contains the remains of one of the oldest people to have been found in the London region. The skeleton is between 5640 and 5100 years old and is displayed alongside a facial reconstruction.
The entire exhibited collection is online for you to browse, search and do tours through, and you can also play games, see the layout of the gallery and more on the extensive exhibition website.