SC - Fwd: [aten] Fwd: Archaeological Find

[Micaylah]

This also appeared on ther BBC Online news

Thursday, August 6, 1998 Published at 13:51 GMT 14:51 UK


Clue to King Arthur Discovered

An ancient stone bearing a sixth century inscription similar to the name
Arthur has been unearthed at Tintagel Castle, the mythical birthplace of the
legendary king. 

The discovery could prove that King Arthur had his headquarters at the site
of ruined castle on the coast of north Cornwall.

The stone is a 35cm by 20cm piece of  slate inscribed with the name Artognov
- - Latin for the English name Arthnou.

A spokesman for English Heritage, the conservation organization that
announced the discovery, said the stone was "the find of a lifetime." 

He said it added "a new dimension to the possibility of there having been a
real Arthur on whom the mythical figure was based." 

The stone was unearthed towards the end of the latest round of excavations
at Tintagel, which is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. 

It had been broken in order to be used as a drain cover outside a sixth of
seventh century building.

Arthur's stone, along with other recent finds, helps fill in some of the
many gaps that still exist in Tintagel's history, despite extensive
excavations in the
area that first began in the 1930s. 

The new discoveries provide further evidence for the existence of some kind
of royal headquarters at Tintagel for a Dark Ages ruler of Cornwall.

Dr Geoffrey Wainwright, chief Archaeologist with English Heritage, said:
"Despite the obvious temptation to link the Arthnou stone to either the
historical or the legendary figure of Arthur, it must be stressed there is
no evidence to make this connection. 

"Nevertheless it proves for the first time that the name existed at that
time and that the stone belonged to a person of status." 

Tintagel expert Professor Charles Thomas said the inscription's informal
Roman lettering could be translated as: "Artognou, father of a descendant of
Coll, has had (this) constructed". 

English Heritage said that as a historical figure Arthur almost certainly
did exist as a successful soldier fighting battles across the country in the
sixth century.

Literary references to Arthur can be found in the ninth century. The 12th
century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth first wrote of him as a romantic hero
and linked him with Tintagel. 

The famous tales of Arthur and his round table were put together by the
Norman writer Wace. These were followed in the 15th century by Sir Thomas
Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur chronicle.

The stories were taken further by the 19th century poet Alfred, Lord
Tennyson.

Excavations at Tintagel over the years have provided clues that it was a
high status - possibly royal - site of a Cornish chieftain.

The Arthur stone also shows that the inhabitants of Tintagel carried on
living a Romanized life, and read and wrote Latin, long after the Romans
left England in 410 AD.

Tintagel relies heavily on its connection with King Arthur, and the new
stone will enhance that link.

There are many variations in tales of the mythical king's life. Geoffrey of
Monmouth's 12th century legend told how Arthur was born after his mother was
seduced by a king, whom the wizard Merlin had transformed into her husband.

Another version says that Merlin found the baby Arthur was ashore in a cave
below the castle.

As one guidebook for Tintagel says: "Fact hereabouts is tremendously hard to
separate from fiction."

Tintagel Facts

- - Occupation of the site at Tintagel castle dates back to Roman times.

- - Historians believe the castle was built in the early 13th century by Earl
Richard of Cornwall.

- - By the late 15th century the castle was ruined and deserted.

- - A fire at the site in the early 1980s led to the discovery of the remains
of around 50 buildings and some pottery.

- -Despite decades of investigation Tintagel remains a mystery, says English
Heritage.

Sorry there was no byline. It can be found and viewed at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_146000/146511.stm

Micaylah




============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================