Presenting the culmination of more than 40 years' research, John and Caitlin Matthews examine the historical and mythological evidence for every major theory about the existence of King Arthur. Drawing on modern techniques in archaeology and scholarship, they reconstruct the history of the 6th century in Britain, the period when the first unambiguous references to Arthur appear. They explore the history of every Arthur candidate, the geographical arguments that have placed him in different locations, and the evidence for his life and famous battles fought against the Saxons. Was the greatest British hero of all time not a king but a 2nd-century Roman officer active around Hadrian's Wall in Cumbria? A 5th-century soldier who operated in areas as far apart as Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, or Brittany? Or an entirely mythical fiction that provided a figure of light during a dark period of British history?
- ISBN10 1620555999
- ISBN13 9781620555996
- Publish Date 15 June 2017 (first published 24 April 2017)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Inner Traditions Bear and Company
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 424
- Language English