Hidden History: Lost Civilizations, Secret Knowledge, and Ancient Mysteries, Brian Haughton [books you need to read .TXT] 📗

the historical Arthur. The places most associated with King Arthur in the literature are all in the English West Country-Tintagel, the king's birthplace; Camelot, the site of the meetings at the Round Table; and the alleged site of his burial at Glastonbury. The supposed discovery of the graves of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere by the monks at Glastonbury Abbey in A.D. 1190 is now thought to have been an elaborate hoax, contrived by the monks in order to raise money for the Abbey, which had recently been desecrated by fire. However, some researchers believe that Glastonbury itself had connections with Arthur, suggesting that the region around Glastonbury Tor (a hill just outside the modern town) may well have been the isle of Avalon, where Arthur was taken after receiving his fatal wounds at the Battle of Camlann. Cadbury Castle, lying only 12 miles away from Glastonbury, is an Iron Age hillfort which was reoccupied in the Dark Ages, and is the site most often identified with Camelot. In the sixth century A.D. the fort was converted into a vast citadel, with huge defensive ramparts, and it is apparent from the finds at the site, which include wine jars imported from the Mediterranean, that this was the seat of an important and influential Dark Age ruler. Could this have been the base of Arthur's power?

An alternative site, alleged to have been Arthur's birthplace, is Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, a county rich in Arthur place-names. Although the main structure at Tintagel is medieval, archaeological work at the site has revealed that it was an important Dark Age stronghold and commercial center, with finds including massive amounts of wine and oil jars from Asia Minor, North Africa, and the Aegean Sea. In 1998, a small piece of slate was found at the site inscribed in Latin: "Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll, has had (this) constructed." Artognov is the Latin form of the Celtic name Arthnou, or Arthur. But is it the King Arthur of legend? Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing. As with Cadbury Castle, we have an important fortress and commercial center, obviously the home of a powerful British chieftain living in the sixth century A.D., at the time of the Arthur of legend. We have the background to the legends but, on present evidence, that is as far as we can go.

There has been much speculation as to whom Arthur could have been if he was a historical person. One theory is that Arthur was a Romano-British leader named Ambrosius Aurelianus, who fought against the Saxons, not in the sixth but at the end of the fifth century, a few decades after the Roman legions left Britain. Other researchers, including noted Arthurian scholar Geoffrey Ashe, identify Arthur as Riothamus, a military leader active around the fifth century A.D., and called the "King of the Brittones" in one source. Fighting alongside the Romans with a huge army at his side he took

part in their campaign against Euric, king of the Visigoths in Gaul (France), but subsequently disappeared somewhere in Burgandy in A.D. 470. The name Riothamus seems to be a Latinization of highest leader or supreme king, and was thus a title rather than a personal name, which would account for its dissimilarity to the name Arthur. A fascinating detail which appears to lend support to the theory of Riothamus as Arthur, is that the armies of this British King were apparently betrayed to the Goths by a letter sent by one Arvandus, who was subsequently executed for treason. In one medieval chronicle the name Arvandus is rendered Morvandus, which sounds similar to a Latinized version of Mordred, the treacherous son of the legendary Arthur. Unfortunately, outside of his activities in Gaul, nothing is known about Riothamus, so it is not possible to say if he was the seed from which the legend of King Arthur and the Round Table grew.

From the archaeological and textual evidence, the most likely theory is that Arthur is a composite of one or more of these British chieftains defending Britain against the marauding Saxons, merged with elements from Celtic mythology and medieval romance, to form the legendary Arthur we know today. In essence then, there was a historical basis for the Arthur traditions. For the legend to survive so long testifies that the character of Arthur touches a nerve in human consciousness and answers some deepseated need to identify not with just a hero, but with a king who symbolizes the spirit of the land of Britain itself.

PART IV

Some Further

Mysteries Lo

Ponder

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The collection of the world's ancient mysteries contained in Hidden History is, of course, far from exhaustive; there are thousands of other enigmas to consider. As new discoveries in archaeology and history are made almost daily, there will always be a constant supply of riddles from our ancient past to raise fascinating questions about the lifestyle, religion, technology, and origins of our ancestors. What follows is a selection of 40 additional mysteries from antiquity, separated into the same categories as Hidden History, with a brief description of the site, artifact, or people.

Mysterious Places

The Hill of Tara-With a history going back to 2500 B.C., this was the seat of the ancient high kings of Ireland, sacred dwelling place of the gods, and entrance to the Celtic otherworld. As a center for the ancient religion of the Pagans, Tara was allegedly visited by St. Patrick in his attempt to bring Christianity to Ireland.

The Ohio Serpent Mound-This enigmatic Native American structure is the largest effigy earthwork in the world, and one of a number of enigmatic ancient mounds in North America. When was this huge structure built and what was its purpose?

Avebury-A huge stone circle and henge monument at the heart of

a prehistoric landscape in southern England, Avebury is older than Stonehenge and is one of the most important megalithic sites in the world.

Rennes-le-Chateau-A village in southern France which has become the center of