Eastwards from the Steppes of Asia

The Brown hare is thought to have moved eastwards from the steppes of Asia, as humans cleared the forests for farming during the Neolithic period. One theory put forward is that they arrived in Britain when it was still joined to Europe by a land bridge, before sea levels rose. An opposing story is that they were introduced to Britain by the Romans in the 1st century AD. A third theory put forward makes both the other two plausible: that they died out during the last Ice Age and were re-introduced by the Romans.

– Jill Mason
The Hare
p. 38