It was only 4,000 years ago when, for the first time in history, homes of the living replaced tombs of the dead as the most permanent human-made features of the landscape. The key was the shift from stone to bronze, in tools from axes to swords. Over 100 photos and drawings freshly document these years of British prehistory, when vast forests were hewn into managed woodlands, and effective weapons helped defend forts and settlements. Archeologists interpret recent challenging, tantalizing evidence that shows how farmers and villagers perfected the making and manufacture of metals, and invented hundreds of practical uses.