Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #114531 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-05
• Binding: Paperback
• 268 pages

Synopsis
Leading archaeologist Francis Pryor retells the story of King Arthur, legendary king of the Britons, tracing it back to its Bronze Age origins. The legend of King Arthur and Camelot is one of the most enduring in Britain's history, spanning centuries and surviving invasions by Angles, Vikings and Normans. In his latest book Francis Pryor -- one of Britain's most celebrated archaeologists and author of the acclaimed Britain B.C. and Seahenge -- traces the story of Arthur back to its ancient origins. Putting forth the compelling idea that most of the key elements of the Arthurian legends are deeply rooted in Bronze and Iron Ages (the sword Excalibur, the Lady of the Lake, the Sword in the Stone and so on), Pryor argues that the legends' survival mirrors a flourishing, indigenous culture that endured through the Roman occupation of Britain, and the subsequent invasions of the so-called Dark Ages. As in Britain B.C., Pryor roots his story in the very landscape, from Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, to South Cadbury Castle in Somerset and Tintagel in Cornwall.

He traces the story back to the 5th-century King Arthur and beyond, all the time testing his ideas with archaeological evidence, and showing how the story was manipulated through the ages for various historical and literary purposes, by Geoffrey of Monmouth and Malory, among others. Delving into history, literary sources -- ancient, medieval and romantic -- and archaeological research, Francis Pryor creates an original, lively and illuminating account of this most British of legends.

Customer Reviews

Dogmatically unscientific
Pryor seems incapable of reading the work of anyone who does not subscribe to his own daft ideas and that includes pretty much all genetic studies.

Illuminating the "Dark Ages"
You don't want to argue with Francis Pryor. Not because he's likely bigger than you, but because your array of supportive information may not be on the top line. Pryor is a digger, for facts and artefacts, and brings fresh insight to what conditions actually prevailed in post-Roman Britain. Pryor's approach relies heavily on those artefacts and they tell him - and us - a tale rather removed from what we learned in school. In this finely-written and comprehensive account, Pryor effectively overturns a number of long-held assumptions to redraw the picture of the "Dark Ages".

Even here in North America, the Legend of King Arthur carried a prominent role in history and literature - not to mention film. The story rested on the underlying assumption that the withdrawal of Rome from the British Isles resulted in the collapse of "civilisation" for centuries. Pryor hinges his account on the King Arthur legend, reminding us that a myth, no matter how many times nor in various ways, remain a myth until some form of real evidence can substantiate them. The author is an archaeologist and a sheep farmer, and unusual as it may seem, is able to combine these two facets in analysing prehistory and produce new ideas. While these ideas may challenge a number of dearly-held beliefs, they are firmly supported by the quantity of information that has emerged from British soil in recent years.

Whatever the validity of the Arthurian legend, post-Roman Britain did not sink into chaos and barbarism with the shutting down of the Empire on these islands. Instead, with the removal of severe tax imposts, new economic and governmental structures arose. Pryor is thus able to view Britain A.D. as a continuum. Change there certainly was, but "barbarism" hardly describes it. Farms continued to produce and towns functioned, especially trade centres, both coastal and inland. The coastal communities, which enjoyed good communication with continental Europe, went on as before. Trade flourished, although the products exchanged varied with demand. Foodstuffs and other supplies required by the Roman military ranks increasingly shifted instead to wine and other luxury goods.

The shift in commerce reflected changes occurring in Britain's society. Where governance had rested in the Roman administration for three centuries, it now shifted to more local centres. Pryor notes artefacts in various digs throughout Britain demonstrate the rise of local hierarchies. Unlike the account given us in school, the top of that hierarchy was not the result of massive invasions of the island by the "Anglo-Saxons" of history's long, repetitive account. Instead, while Continentals assuredly did enter Britain, it was more of a steady trickle. Those seeking opportunities not available on the mainland, found them in Britain. In many cases those Germanic "invaders" were merely following the same routes laid down by the traders crossing Europe and the Channel. Those traders were still bringing Mediterranean products into the Isles through the period of this book - a practice invasive waves would surely have disrupted. Organised invasions must await the coming of the Norsemen who arrived to plunder, but remained to farm.

For Pryor, the Roman legacy was the spread of new ideas. The famous Roman roads, the bringing of writing and the flourishing trade were all beneficial to Britain. The product of those innovations was mobility and acceptance of novel concepts. New communities, both urban and rural resulted, and while the changes were not always for the better, such as the plagues emerging in those towns, society remained stable and economically progressive. In short, concludes Pryor, those "Dark Ages" were essentially the time of forming "British" culture. It is the true root of the society existing today. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Brilliant
No denying this subject raises a lot of questions. In the TV series by the same author a guest on the show raises the probability that King Arthur was invented to show what they would have liked to happen and this makes sense to me.
I have always thought that the 'Dark Ages' was a false term and now I can see it explained in great detail. If you like History to be told with a purpose this is for but if you if you think what you have been taught is undeniable then you should stick to the norm.

Good suff I say and I want more, lol.