Product Description

We are all familiar with the legendary tales of King Arthur: the sword in the stone, the Holy Grail, the great deeds and high enchantments. But what evidence is there for a real historical figure beneath the myth and romance? This book assembles a wealth of information about the Arthur of history by delving into the shadowy period of the past in which he lived. Drawing on evidence from both written and archaeological sources, Leslie Alcock, who directed the famous excavation at Cadbury Castle in Somerset, sifts history from fiction to take us back to life between the 4th and 7th centuries, a time of warfare and feuding, when Celtic Britain had shaken off Roman rule and fell victim to floods of raiding Scots, Picts and Anglo-Saxons. He also provides detail on how the Britons lived, worshipped, dressed and fought, to create a vivid picture of the Arthurian age and its warrior hero.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #238669 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

About the Author
Leslie Alcock, OBE, FSA, FRHistS, is Honorary Professorial Research Fellow and former Professor of Archaeology at the University of Glasgow. He is a past President of the Cambrian Archaeological Association and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.

Customer Reviews

The best guide to post-Roman Britain
The history and archaeology of Britain in the 'Dark Ages'; a bit out dated now, but still the best overview of Britain in this popular historical period. Features everything from housing, warfare and society to source material and techniques of archaeological excavation. This book was first written in the 1970s and was updated in 1989, and is written by one of the finest 'Arthurian' historians known.

Arthur's Britain is a far better read than John Morris' Age of Arthur, which takes a less critical use of all available sources (regardless of their value) and presents a rather more unliely scenario for post-Roman Britain.

Still the best resource on early medieval Britain
Over thirty years after it was first compiled, and 15 since it was last updated, Leslie Alcock's Arthur's Britain remains the most useful guide to this popular period of British history.
New discoveries fill in more of the blanks with every passing year, and new theories regarding Arthur and the political situation in post-Roman Britain have emerged since this book was first written, but even so, it still comes highly recommended to anyone wishing for a balanced view of what might have happened. For me, Arthur's Britain still surpasses any other readily-available book on the British early medieval period.