Royal Palace Linked to King Arthur Legend Discovered in Cornwall

Archaeologists have discovered impressive remains of a royal palace in Cornwall, likely dating from the Dark Ages. The stone walls, a metre thick, visible from the excavation are believed to be the main residence of a 6th-century ruler of the ancient southwestern British kingdom known as Dumnonia, reports the British Independent, as carried by NAP.

Scholars have long debated whether King Arthur truly existed or is merely a fictional legendary figure formed by combining several separate historical and mythological figures.

However, the discovery by archaeologists of the English Heritage foundation of what could easily be a Dark Ages palace in Tintagel is certain to spark debate in circles of „Arthurian studies“ because medieval tradition holds that Arthur was conceived in Tintagel as the result of an illegitimate union between a British king and the beautiful wife of a local ruler.

This story, likely based on an earlier legend, was written by the Welsh cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth. It is part of his greatest work – Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), considered one of the most significant books of the Middle Ages.

The palace remains found by archaeologists probably date from the 5th or 6th century, which theoretically corresponds to the traditional legends of King Arthur that placed him precisely in that era. Coincidentally or not, the way the new evidence matches the most popular legend will certainly renew interest in the story of Arthur.

What the archaeologists have found holds enormous historical significance, regardless of the credibility of the connection to Arthur. This is the first time that significant structures from the 5th and 6th centuries, known as the Dark Ages, have been found in Britain. The excavations so far reveal massive walls, staircases, and well-crafted stone floors.

Some of the buildings are relatively large. In recent months, more than 10 buildings have been located archaeologically and geophysically. Two of these are about 11 metres long and 4 metres wide.

There are indications that the people who lived in these well-constructed buildings were of elite status. Archaeological evidence – fragments of pottery and glass – suggests they enjoyed wine from present-day western Turkey and olive oil from then-Aegean Greece, present-day Tunisia. Moreover, they ate food from finely crafted bowls and plates imported from western Turkey and North Africa, while drinking wine from beautifully painted cups of French glass.

In the last few weeks, about 150 pieces of pottery have been found, including fragments of amphorae (used for transporting wine and olive oil from the eastern Mediterranean) and fine tableware.

This, likely a palace, appears to have been a more luxurious part of a much larger complex of several dozen buildings in the Tintagel area. These other buildings probably housed artisans, soldiers, and others who worked for the local ruler, likely the king of Dumnonia.

So far, no evidence of any catastrophic destruction of this complex has been found. However, in the second half of the 6th and into the 7th century, a plague pandemic (an earlier version of the later medieval Black Death) culminated, which certainly devastated parts of Britain after killing millions in the Mediterranean. So it is likely that the Dark Ages Tintagel began to decline then due to disease, rather than political or military conflict.