Explorations in Arthurian
History
The Importance of Geography
Part 1: The Romans
The placing of Arthur is a difficult
task, considering that we have so very little to go on and
several conflicting traditions from which to draw. Most of
the early tales of Arthur are Welsh. Some of the later tales
are Scottish. A great many of the tales call Arthur King of
the Britons, which can be taken to mean that he was king of
just Britain, excluding Wales and Scotland. Sites with
Arthur's name in them abound and, taken together, would
probably cover the expanse of the isle of
Britannia.
Traditions passed down from generation to
generation, first orally and then written, are just as much
a part of history as cold facts. Yet it is cold facts that
we pursue when we study archaeology. We are looking into the
distant past with this subject, so we have to rely on what
was many years ago. Not much is left standing. The
exceptions, of course, are many things Roman and a good
number of things Welsh. Let us begin with the
Romans.
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Julius Caesar, of course, is given credit for
"discovering" the island for Rome. He "visited" twice and deemed it
fit for occupation. It wasn't until Claudius
arrived in 43 that the island was overrun with Roman influence. The
Romans stayed for about 400 years and brought a kind of order not
seen before. When they abandoned Britain to its own squabbles, they
left behind a legacy of structures and traditions.
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In the way of order they left several
forts, most of them connected to the two giant walls:
Hadrian's
Wall (right) and the
Antonine
Wall (left). Both were ordered
built by emperors and named after themselves. Both, of
course, were built to contain what the Romans thought of
barbarians in the north. Both stand, in part, to this day.
It is a testament to Roman craftsmanship and British respect
for the past.
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But the Romans also left structures in towns and
the countryside. Prominent examples can be found still standing at
Bath
and Wroxeter
(the Roman metropolis Viroconium). These are just two examples of the
many that are available. But these two, along with the two walls,
will serve as an introduction to Arthurian Archaeology.
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As the Romans worked their back eastward
toward Rome, they left their strongholds behind. Viroconium
was once the military stronghold for the Roman conquest of
Wales. In 78, this headquarters transferred to
Chester.
Viroconium was later turned into the military stronghold of
Vortigern
in Powys.
Modern excavations have turned up quite an array of Roman
buildings. And Vortigern, of course, is a towering figure in
matters Arthurian, bringing about both the advent of
Merlin
as a prophet and the wishful idea that Saxons
could fight side by side with Britons against
Picts
and Scots.
Arthurian traditions holds that Arthur fought several great
battles against Saxons, so he might have had Vortigern to
blame for this.
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The Saxons and Romans mingle again at
Bath (the Roman Aquae Sulis). The site of ancient hot
springs was a thriving Roman town and then a target of Saxon
"settlers." Geoffrey
of Monmouth, who gave us the
fanciful History of the Kings of Britain, says that
Arthur fought his greatest battle at Bath. Some historians
have suggested that Badon Hill, which most souces list as
Arthur's greatest battle, was actually Bath-on in the
British language of the time. And some historians have
suggested that the hill outside Bath is Little Solsbury
Hill.
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The presence is strong all over the island,
including at such other Arthurian places as Caerleon,
Carmarthen,
Cadbury,
Colchester,
Catterick.
Let us examine each in brief:
- Caerleon has been called Arthur's court since
Geoffrey of Monmouth did it in the Historia regum
Britannie. This is not to say that it has been called Camelot,
although some have said it was so.
- Carmarthen has been said to be Arthur's
birthplace; it is certainly the source of much Welsh legends, as
evidenced by the Black Book of Carmarthen.
- Cadbury (actually South Cadbury) has been
called Camelot by John Leland, Leslie Alcock, Geoffrey Ashe, and
other famous historians.
- Colchester has also been called Camelot, based
on its Roman name, Camulodonum. The oldest town in Britian,
it was the Roman occupiers' first capital.
- Catterick is the site of the epic battle
between the Angles and the Gododdin, chronicled in Y
Gododdin, which gives Arthur a fleeting mention.
It should be noted here that this is by no means a
complete rendering of the Roman presence or the remains of such in
Britain. Rather, the sites mentioned are necessary to the discussion
of Arthurian Archaeology.
Let us turn now to ancient British sources and
Arthur's 12 great battles. Click here
to continue.
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