Neanderthal Man
The Neanderthals (Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) were Stone Age hunter-gatherers, who lived in Europe from 35,000 to 100,000 years ago; they got their name from the Neander Valley, in Germany, where their first skeletal remains were discovered in 1856. They had been supplanted by modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) in Britain by about 40,000 years ago. It is still debated whether the Neanderthals were wiped out violently, died out naturally as a result of environmental changes or increased competition from modern humans, or were absorbed through inter-breeding. Their short, stocky bone structure and pronounced forehead ridges earned them a reputation as a sort of 'ape-men', but they made and used tools, appear to have cared for their dead and were probably capable of primitive speech. See also the Channel 4 History website Neanderthal.

Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age is the last period of the Stone Age, when many innovations were introduced, including monument building, the first engineering projects, the use of pottery and, most importantly, the domestication of plants and animals so that hunter-gathering was no longer the only or perhaps even the main way of obtaining enough food. In Britain, it lasted from around 4500 to 2300 BC. Many of Britain's most famous ancient monuments, including the first phases of construction at Stonehenge and Avebury, date from this period. So too do the first elaborate burials, in Long Barrows.

Normans
The Normans were the successful invaders who conquered England in 1066, and then Wales and Ireland. They came from Normandy in northern France, and were the descendants of the Northmen – that is, Norsemen, or Vikings – who had been granted the right to settle there in 911. In England, the Norman kings – including William I (the Conqueror), William II Rufus, Henry I and Stephen – are well known for introducing castle building to the country (although there had been a few earlier), and for the elaborate Romanesque style of architecture in the many cathedrals, abbeys and churches they built.