Arthur’s Tintagel Rediscovered: Archaeological Evidence of an Ancient British Palace

Last updated on: August 4, 2016 at 9:26 am by David Russell Mosley

Arthur’s Tintagel Rediscovered: Archaeological Evidence of an Ancient British Palace 2016-08-04T09:26:43-04:00 David Russell Mosley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

David Russell Mosley

Date18 April 2007, 11:43 Source King Arthurs Domain, Tintagel Author IDS.photos from Tiverton, UK (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Date 18 April 2007, 11:43
Source King Arthurs Domain, Tintagel
Author IDS.photos from Tiverton, UK (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Ordinary Time
4 August 2016
The Edge of Elfland
Hudson, New Hampshire

Dear Readers,

If you haven’t heard the news, there have been new archaeological discoveries at Tintagel in Cornwall, UK. For those who don’t know, Tintagel was a place of prominence in Arthurian legend. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s account, Tintagel was a palace kept by Gorlois. Uther Pendragon besieged the palace, due in part for his love for Gorlois’ wife, Igraine. After defeating Gorlois, and with the help of Merlin, Uther and two of his men enter Tintagel Castle disguised as Gorlois and two of his men, and Uther sleeps with Lady Igraine and begets by her his son, Arthur. One of many problems with story, however, is that there had been no evidence of a palace or castle dating to the period of Arthur (fifth-sixth centuries, roughly). This combined with an apparent lack of early Cornish folklore about Arthur has caused many to reject the site as having anything to do with Arthur until Geoffrey Monmouth made the association in the twelfth century. Even the current ruins that are usually seen of the castle date only back to the 13th century, and that castle was likely built, by Richard, 1st Early of Cornwall, in part to shore up the connection between the land and King Arthur. Things, now, however, are beginning to change.

Description: Merlin's Cave, Tintagel. According to legend, this is Merlin's Cave (the one on the right I believe). Date20 August 2002 Source From geograph.org.uk Author andy (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Description: Merlin’s Cave, Tintagel. According to legend, this is Merlin’s Cave Source From geograph.org.uk Author andy (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Yesterday, The Independent ran a piece about an archaeological dig at Tintagel, funded by the English Heritage Society who keep the grounds, that has discovered an ancient palace on the site. According to the article, “It’s the first time in Britain that really substantial buildings from the 5th and 6th centuries – the very heart of the Dark Ages – have been found.” What is more, the evidence suggests that this building was inhabited by people of status based on the pottery and glass that has been discovered:

“The archaeological evidence – scores of fragments of pottery and glass – show that they were enjoying wine from what is now western Turkey and olive oil from the Greek Aegean and what is now Tunisia. What’s more, they ate their food from fine bowls and plates imported from western Turkey and North Africa, while they drank their wine from the very finest, beautifully painted French-made glass cups.”

This is, of course, not evidence of the existence of Arthur, nor of his conception. Though if you want to know my feelings about Arthur, you can read them here, here, and here. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating discovery and one that ought to make us rethink and perhaps even take more seriously the old myths and legends we have read. In the mean time, I’m going to continue to await Arthur’s return and do what I can to rekindle the kingdom of Logres here in the midst of the kingdom of the world.

Sincerely,
David

Faerie

Faeriean Metaphysics

King Arthur

The Radical Catholic Reimagination of Everything

Previous Post

August 3, 2016

Anglophilia: Bake Off, Wallace and Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, River Cottage, and the Local Church

Next Post

August 5, 2016 Racism, Our Lady of Faërie, Narnia and More: My Most Popular Posts Since Joining Patheos Catholic

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Secular Age Advent Apologetics Atheism Beauty Being a Catholic Evangelical Being Catholic Being Deified: Poetry and Fantasy on the Path to God Blogging Book Reviews C. S. Lewis Catholic Imagination Catholic Social Teaching Catholicism Christmas Church Calendar Church Fathers Church Life Community Conferences Cosmology Creation Curdled Words Deification Distributism Easter Economics Education Epiphany Essay Extracts Eucharist Faerie Faeriean Metaphysics Fatherhood Films Folk Liturgy Food and Drink G. K. Chesterton Harry Potter J. R. R. Tolkien Jove King Arthur Language Lent Life Literature and Poetry Liturgy Medieval Theology Music My Publications Mythology On the Edges of Elfland Ordinary Time Ordination Parenthood Parish Patristic Theology Pentecost Politics Prayer Racism Radical Orthodoxy Restoration Movement Sacramental Ontology Saints Science Sex and Sexuality Sophiology Stories The Inklings The Radical Catholic Reimagination of Everything Theologians in the Church Theopoetics Thesis Research Uncategorized University of Nottingham What I'm Reading Writing

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 July 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz