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Title: Royal palace discovered in area believed to be birthplace of King Arthur
Source: The Telegraph
URL Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201 ... ieved-to-be-birthplace-of-kin/
Published: Aug 3, 2016
Author: Nicola Harley
Post Date: 2016-08-10 12:46:47 by X-15
Keywords: None
Views: 174
Comments: 9

A royal palace has been discovered in the area reputed to be the birthplace of King Arthur.

The palace discovered at Tintagel in Cornwall is believed to date from the sixth century - around the time that the legendary king may have lived.

They believe the one-metre thick walls being unearthed are from a 6th century palace belonging to the rulers of the ancient south-west British kingdom of Dumnonia.

Excavations have been taking place at the site as part of a five-year research project being run by English Heritage at the 13th century Tintagel Castle in Cornwall to find out more about the historic site from the fifth to the seventh centuries.

Using cutting edge techniques, Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU), part of Cornwall council, uncovered the walls of the palace and more than 150 fragments of pottery and glass which had been imported to the site from exotic locations across the globe indicating it was inhabited by wealthy individuals.

Finds include sherds of imported late-Roman amphorae, fragments of fine glass, and the rim of a Phocaean red-slip ware which is the first piece of fine tableware found on the site.

Made in western Turkey and dating from the 5th or 6th centuries , experts say it is the fragment of a bowl or a large dish which may have been used for sharing food during feasting.

Win Scutt, English Heritage’s properties curator for the West, said: “This is the most significant archaeological project at Tintagel since the 1990s.

“The three-week dig is the first step in a five year research programme to answer some key questions about Tintagel and Cornwall’s past.

“The discovery of high-status buildings – potentially a royal palace complex – at Tintagel is transforming our understanding of the site.

"We’re cutting a small window into the site’s history, to guide wider excavations next year. We’ll also be gathering samples for analysis. It’s when these samples are studied in the laboratory that the fun really starts, and we’ll begin to unearth Tintagel’s secrets.”

The team dug four trenches in two previously unexcavated terrace areas of the island settlement and discovered buildings believed to date from the fifth centuries, when Romano-British rulers fought for control of the island against the Anglo-Saxon invaders.

Geophysical surveys of the terraces earlier in the year detected the walls and layers of the buried buildings, and the archaeologists have discovered two rooms around 11 metres long and 4 metres wide.

Tintagel is one of Europe’s most important archaeological sites.

The remains of the castle, built in the 1230s and 1240s by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, brother of Henry III, stand on the site of an early Medieval settlement, where experts believe high-status leaders may have lived and traded with far-off shores, importing exotic goods and trading tin.

Previous excavations have uncovered thousands of pieces of pottery at Tintagel – with the vast majority dating from the fifth to seventh centuries and imported from the Mediterranean.

The excavation team, directed by Jacky Nowakowski, principal archaeologist at CAU, is working with specialists from Historic England and geophysicists from TigerGeo Ltd.

She said: “CAU are very excited to be involved in English Heritage’s research project at Tintagel. This new archaeological research project will investigate unexplored areas of the island in order to find out more about the character of the buildings on this significant post-Roman settlement at Tintagel.

The earliest accounts about King Arthur have come from the writings of the sixth century monk Gildas. A much fuller account of Arthur's life was written many centuries later by Geoffrey of Monmouth, which may have drawn on earlier sources but was suspected of being wildly embellished.

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#1. To: X-15 (#0)

A much fuller account of Arthur's life was written many centuries later by Geoffrey of Monmouth, which may have drawn on earlier sources but was suspected of being wildly embellished.

Geoffrey of Monmouth would never have embellished the tale, as we was certainly personally acquainted with Author who was hundreds of years his senior.

Nor are any of the present day movies about author embellished. All are historically accurate, of course.

Pinguinite  posted on  2016-08-10   13:16:17 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#2. To: X-15 (#0)

KING ARTHUR: LIFE AND LEGEND

U.S. Constitution - Article IV, Section 4: NO BORDERS + NO LAWS = NO COUNTRY

HAPPY2BME-4UM  posted on  2016-08-10   13:37:59 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#3. To: Pinguinite (#1)

Did they find a sword and a lady in a lake?

"Have Brain, Will Travel

Turtle  posted on  2016-08-10   15:05:29 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#4. To: Pinguinite (#1)

A much fuller account of Arthur's life was written many centuries later by Geoffrey of Monmouth, which may have drawn on earlier sources but was suspected of being wildly embellished.

Geoffrey of Monmouth would never have embellished the tale, as we was certainly personally acquainted with Author who was hundreds of years his senior.

Nor are any of the present day movies about author embellished. All are historically accurate, of course

Phunnie!

Although I detect a note of sarcasm in your tone.....

HOUNDDAWG  posted on  2016-08-10   15:07:44 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#5. To: Pinguinite (#1)

Nor are any of the present day movies about author embellished. All are historically accurate, of course.

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

Most British history scholars believe King Arthur was nothing more than a folk legend.

U.S. Constitution - Article IV, Section 4: NO BORDERS + NO LAWS = NO COUNTRY

HAPPY2BME-4UM  posted on  2016-08-10   15:14:36 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#6. To: Pinguinite (#1)

The same could be said of the bible.

Obnoxicated  posted on  2016-08-10   17:25:49 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#7. To: HOUNDDAWG (#4)

Although I detect a note of sarcasm in your tone.....

And accurately so. This line struck me as odd, describing the work of Geoffrey:

which may have drawn on earlier sources but was suspected of being wildly embellished.

Where would Geoffrey have possibly gotten accurate info about Author? It's not like he could have googled him, visited the local public library, rented a video or watched a documentary on him on PBS. His only sources of info are A) oral legend, or B) hand written texts, perhaps even in scroll form that would be quite rare.

With such limited sources, Geoffrey would have had to embellish stuff about Author to fill in gaps and make an interesting story. Who back then would waste time and scroll paper handwriting a story no one would ever want to read?

Pinguinite  posted on  2016-08-11   5:24:08 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#8. To: Obnoxicated (#6)

I would agree.

Pinguinite  posted on  2016-08-11   5:24:50 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#9. To: Pinguinite (#7)

Where would Geoffrey have possibly gotten accurate info about Author? It's not like he could have googled him, visited the local public library, rented a video or watched a documentary on him on PBS. His only sources of info are A) oral legend, or B) hand written texts, perhaps even in scroll form that would be quite rare.

With such limited sources, Geoffrey would have had to embellish stuff about Author to fill in gaps and make an interesting story. Who back then would waste time and scroll paper handwriting a story no one would ever want to read?

It should be categorized with the historical fiction.

HOUNDDAWG  posted on  2016-08-14   15:36:54 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


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