Tyrants and Traders: Tintagel, Arthur and the Lost Kings

Discover exciting new research illuminating the most mysterious centuries of British history. How Roman Britain ended is one of the most controversial questions in British history. Unique among former Roman citizens in Western Europe, the Britons established long-lived kingdoms, resisting 'barbarian' political takeover for centuries. Yet so little is known of them from written records that even the names of most of their kings are effectively lost to history. Packed with the latest discoveries and ground-breaking research, Professor Ken Dark brings the fascinating, but mysterious, world of these rulers and their kingdoms to life. Archaeological evidence, along with re-analysis of the few existing texts, reveals an unexpectedly sophisticated society, connected to a wider international network of trade and cultural contacts than might until recently have seemed imaginable. Ken Dark demonstrates through the latest archaeological discoveries that Tintagel – an eroded coastal stronghold in Cornwall, closely associated with the later legend of King Arthur – was a royal fortress and trading centre of one of the most important British kingdoms of this period. This is a historical period filled with memorable characters and stories: from the outraged churchman Gildas, attempting to reform the corrupt rulers he thought threatened civilized life itself, to St. Patrick, who played a major part in converting Ireland to Christianity, to no less than King Arthur – whose historical existence Dark shows to be much more likely than usually supposed.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1. Tintagel: Where History and Legend Meet Archaeology Chapter 2. Gildas and the Tyrants Chapter 3. Discovering the Lost Kings Chapter 4. The Poetic North Chapter 5. Going Global Chapter 6. Arthur: Myth or History? Conclusion Bibliographic Essay Index

About the Author :
Ken Dark is a professor at St. Edmund's College, University of Cambridge, UK, and works on the archaeology and history of Europe and the Mediterranean in the 1st millennium AD. A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the Royal Historical Society, he has written over 100 academic publications, including 15 books, and directed many archaeological excavations and surveys. He is currently director of the Tintagel Hinterland Project, and widely recognised as a leading expert on the archaeology and history of the fifth- to seventh-century Britons.

Review :
The distillation of decades of research and scholarship by Ken Dark. Focusing on how small kingdoms emerged at the end of Roman Britain, it provides a fresh interpretation of this very difficult period by delving into the archaeological evidence, much of which is new and exciting. He argues that there was a historical King Arthur; but it is a surprising and original answer. Authoritative, informative and brilliantly thought-provoking. An essential and insightful examination of the history, folklore, archaeology and geography of Tintagel, examining its role in the development of the post-Roman west by one of the leading experts in the field. Highly recommended. For dark-age Cornwall and beyond, Ken Dark is the essential guide. Using modern archaeological research, he sheds light on Celtic trading links with the Mediterranean, as at Tintagel, where cargoes of wine and spices and other luxuries were imported for British kings, and which is today famous for associations with Arthur, champion of the early Britons. On fact and fiction in the age of Arthur, Ken Dark is the expert for our times. This exploration of the Arthurian world centred around Tintagel draws on the most recent textual and archaeological scholarship to produce an accessible and stimulating account that will be of interest to enthusiasts and specialists.