London before London

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.

Virtual tours can be found on our archive site at: http://archive.museumoflondon.org.uk/lbl/