Archaeologists discovered an inscription of Latin and Christian symbols at Tintagel Castle, suggesting a royal, Christian court like King Arthur’s existed at the site, according to Aleteia on Tuesday.
Tintagel Castle has been associated with Arthurian legend since Geoffrey of Monmouth listed the site as the place of King Arthur’s birth in his 12th century work Historia Regnum Britanniae. Archaeologists’ discovery of the inscription on a 1,300-year-old window sill now proves that the castle, which is situated on a rocky outcrop off of the coast of Cornwall, was in fact the site of a royal, literate, Christian court, according to the report.
“It is incredible to think that 1,300 years ago, on this dramatic Cornish clifftop, someone was practicing their writing, using Latin phrases and Christian symbols,” Win Scutt, English Heritage curator, told The Telegraph. “We can’t know for sure who made these marks or why, but what we can say is that seventh century Tintagel had professional scribes who were familiar with the techniques of writing manuscripts, and that in itself is very exciting.”
Historians knew the site was one of status, but until this discovery, Scutt said, they did not know the level of education of its original inhabitants. While the inscription does not provide concrete evidence that King Arthur existed, it does prove the site housed royalty and that those royal figures were not “ignorant warlords, taking areas in post-Roman Britain like something from post-war Afghanistan.” (RELATED: Biblical Lost City Discovered Near Jerusalem Might Prove King David Existed)
As for the discovery’s bearing on Arthurian legend, Scutt told The Telegraph it “shows we have got the right conditions for an Arthurian figure, if he did exist.”
Historians with English Heritage, which manages Tintagel Castle, said the inscription was carved by someone practicing his or her handwriting. Tintagel is the site of both a 13th-century castle built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, because of the sites association with Arthurian legend, and an older, early medieval settlement. Historians discovered the inscription at the location of the earlier settlement, which is being excavated.
Some historians have accused English Heritage of threatening the integrity of the historical site by playing into its associations with the mythical King Arthur. Scutt, however, disagreed.
“We can’t ignore legends,” he told The Telegraph. “This castle was built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall purely because of the Arthurian legend. There was no other reason for the castle to be here.”
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