Archaeologists revealed Tuesday that there may actually be some truth to the legend of Merlin and his death in Scotland.

The legend goes that Merlin, loyal advisor to King Arthur, was imprisoned in Drumelzier in the Dark Ages, before being killed and buried on the banks of the river Tweed, according to a study published in the journal Archaeology Reports Online. A geophysical survey revealed that there is a grave-like pit in the region. When archaeologists started digging, what they found seemed quite unexpected.

Excavations conducted at Tinnis Fort, which overlooks the area of Merlin’s grave in Drumelzier, found it was inhabited around the time of the legend (3rd to 6th century A.D.). Around this time, residents added to a series of Bronze Age round barrows (mounds made between 2200 B.C. and 1100 B.C.)

“Given how many hillforts there are in this neck of the woods, almost all of which are much earlier Iron Age settlements, it seems to be a remarkable coincidence that the one hillfort associated with this local legend, dates to exactly the same time as the story is set, especially when hillforts of the post-Roman period are quite rare,” GUARD Archaeology CEO and project lead Ronan Toolis told The National.

The discovery doesn’t prove the story of Merlin is true but rather suggests the lore originated in the region. “Perhaps it originated as a folk memory, to be embellished over the centuries before it spread far and wide and changed out of almost all recognition,” Toolis added. (RELATED: Archaeologists Unearth ‘Mysterious’ Monolith At Ancient Temple)

While most of us know Merlin as a prominent, respected individual, his legend in Drumelzier is quite different. Apparently he was a pitiful man, held captive by a mad tyrant, prone to muttering “nonsensical riddles and bewildering prophecies.” But wouldn’t you go a bit mad if some bloke locked you up in the middle of Scotland?