THE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF BRITISH ISLES AND ITS FIRST PEOPLE

Abstract

The historical geography of Britain and its first peoples are discussed with the geographical perspective provided by the concepts of "Atlantic Europe" and "Western Europe". Humbly, this study aims to contribute to the expansion of the geographical perception of England through the axis of Western European historical geography in Turkish historiography by using the light of studies on the prehistoric period. Throughout the centuries, the British Isles served as an important transit station for the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea routes as a nodal point in the north of the European mainland. In this context, Britain’s regional geography has been scrutinized by centered on the strategic location of the Island within the transportation networks. Secondly, The Celts -first known settled community of the British Isles- provided the opportunity to evaluate the population of the island through the phenomenon of migration in the prehistory period from the upper scale perspective of regional geography. The Celts, who were adept at processing iron, maintained their settlements in the British Isles for many years under the influence of this tool-equipment power that determined the superiority of other communities. Furthermore, Celts have been the subject of ethnic origin studies since the age of Nationalism. In the light of the findings, the Celts genetically influenced the red-haired tough-looking breed in Ireland and western Scotland with their dark, curly-haired typologies. It was concluded that most of the blond population in the British population came from Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian ancestors. The extensive presence of the Celts in Western Europe helps us to perceive Britain’s regional geography and reveals the historical phenomenon of geographical transitivity.