The Bronze Age was the period – from about 2300 to 700 BC – when metal first began to be widely used in Britain, possibly as a result of the increase in contact with Europe. However, various types of stone, particularly flint, remained very important for long after metal became available. The Bronze Age saw the introduction of cremation of the dead and burials in round barrows. The later (and best-known) phases of construction at Stonehenge also date from this period.

Archaeologists divide the period into two main parts:

Earlier Bronze Age c2300-1200 BC
Later Bronze Age c1200-700 BC

Inevitably, given such a long time-span, a wide range of burials, monuments, houses, tools, pottery and other artefacts are associated with this period. One of the most important developments concerns the arrival in Britain from about 2300 BC of the Beaker culture. Thought to be of Iberian origin, the 'Beaker people' get their name from the distinctive beakers that accompany their burials – possibly to carry a drink for the deceased on their final journey into the afterlife.

The Beaker people were skilled potters, producing some fine earthenware vessels with a characteristic 'S' shaped profile, as opposed to the coarse wares more widely used at the time. They may have been associated with the later stages of construction at Stonehenge, including the Bluestones, which were brought from the Presely Mountains in south west Wales around 2100 BC, and the famous horseshoe and circle of lintelled stones, which was begun a century or so later. Both the Beaker and later Bronze Age cultures engaged in extensive monument building and and burial of the dead. Outstanding barrows were constructed to honour single individuals, and the development of metalworking, house building and exploitation of the environment moved onto new levels.

Bronze-Age society appears to have been divided into chiefdoms based around a largely agricultural economy. Trade between these groups – and, indeed, more widely with continental Europe – was well developed. Transport by river and sea, using flat-bottomed boats that could be easily beached and navigate far inland, was well established.

The Later Bronze Age also saw major changes for the society of the time. The tradition of single inhumations in barrows, for example, came to an unexplained end – indeed, there is little evidence for any human burial in the Later Bronze Age. Monument building also declined; in its place we find evidence for further exploitation of the agricultural landscape and a stronger definition of settlement. Both pottery and metalworking, however, saw continued advances.

By the Later Bronze Age many more metal objects, in particular, were being produced and their quality was much improved. We find beautifully shaped blades, swords and spearheads to accompany the flat bronze axes, daggers and awls (for making holes) that were the most common tools in the early part of the period. It has been suggested that the changing nature of these metal objects reflects more troubled times as the Iron Age approached.

The Iron Age