by Jerome Espinosa Baladad

Created on: May 29, 2011

In an undetermined era in ancient times, primitive tribes decided to forge a union. These historical tribes originated from Cornwall, which is the south-western most part of Great Britain. This region was invaded by the Romans, Saxons, and Norsemen bringing with them strong influences in shaping the regional culture. But the people who lived in the region kept their Brythonic language up until 18th century. Their ancient stories remain sketchy but what remains standing in the region, and what has been known on how they lived their lives continue to confound and inspire present-day curious researchers.

Cornwall was mentioned around 1 B.C. in the writings of Diodorus Siculus during the period of Julius Caesar who invaded Great Britain in 54 B.C. He particularly described Cornwall’s ancient tin mining, which is also in Wikipedia’s entry on Mining in Cornwall and Devon: "They that inhabit the British promontory of Balerion by reason of their converse with strangers are more civilised and courteous to strangers than the rest are. These are the people that prepare the tin, which with a great deal of care and labour, they dig out of the ground, and that being done the metal is mixed with some veins of earth out of which they melt the metal and refine it. Then they cast it into regular blocks and carry it to a certain island near at hand called Ictis for at low tide, all being dry between there and the island, tin in large quantities is brought over in carts." Probably started during the Stone Age and then persisted in the Bronze Age, tin mining went on in the mid-19th century (although newer methods of extraction in late 20th century were tried to get at the tin that is left).

The website cornwall.co.uk also mentions “these metals were found by tin-streaming and open-cast mining. The early Bronze Age between 2,400 and 1,500 B.C. saw the introduction of metal working.” Present-day archaeological studies point out to fascinating signs on the many activities, in addition to mining, of the ancient people before.  “Ceremonial and burial monuments including stone circles, rows and menhirs (long stones), and the barrows (burial mounds) with their ‘kist’ graves” are among the physical traces on how people lived in Cornwall in ancient periods of time. The website britainexpress.com mentions “that Bronze Age burials (2000 to 500 B.C.) were numerous, with many being often made in rough stone sarcophagi interred in barrows

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