Early Medieval Tintagel:An Interview with Archaeologists Rachel Harry and Kevin Brady
The Heroic Age Staff
The Heroic Age, Issue 1, Spring/Summer 1999
Abstract
A discussion with two members of the team of archaeologists uncovering new finds at Tintagel.
There are few places across the landscape of Britain that evoke Arthur more than Tintagel, where, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, he was born. Since Geoffrey’s time, Tintagel has figured prominently in most Arthurian tales. In the past, historians and archaeologists have not only denied that there is proof of Arthur’s historical association with Tintagel but have also asserted that there is no reason to associate the British nobility of Arthur’s Age with Tintagel. During the last fifteen years, archaeologists have radically revised the role of early medieval Tintagel, recognizing the site’s important role in the kingdom of Domnonia and as a link to the world far beyond the British Isles. Imported artifacts found at Tintagel alone proves that Britain and Ireland were not isolated from the remains of the Roman world in the fifth and sixth centuries. This fact alone radically revises the traditional historiography of fifth century British Isles. What follows is a discussion with two members of Glasgow University’s Tintagel archaeology team, Rachel Harry and Kevin Brady, on their excavations at Tintagel in recent years.
Click here to read/download this article (HTML file)
Early Medieval Tintagel:An Interview with Archaeologists Rachel Harry and Kevin Brady
The Heroic Age Staff
The Heroic Age, Issue 1, Spring/Summer 1999
Abstract
A discussion with two members of the team of archaeologists uncovering new finds at Tintagel.
There are few places across the landscape of Britain that evoke Arthur more than Tintagel, where, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, he was born. Since Geoffrey’s time, Tintagel has figured prominently in most Arthurian tales. In the past, historians and archaeologists have not only denied that there is proof of Arthur’s historical association with Tintagel but have also asserted that there is no reason to associate the British nobility of Arthur’s Age with Tintagel. During the last fifteen years, archaeologists have radically revised the role of early medieval Tintagel, recognizing the site’s important role in the kingdom of Domnonia and as a link to the world far beyond the British Isles. Imported artifacts found at Tintagel alone proves that Britain and Ireland were not isolated from the remains of the Roman world in the fifth and sixth centuries. This fact alone radically revises the traditional historiography of fifth century British Isles. What follows is a discussion with two members of Glasgow University’s Tintagel archaeology team, Rachel Harry and Kevin Brady, on their excavations at Tintagel in recent years.
Click here to read/download this article (HTML file)
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