Archaeology & History

Stone linked to King Arthur is 6,000 years old

By T.K. Randall
September 1, 2021

Image: King Arthur
Credit: Charles Ernest Butler (1903) / (PD) Copyright Expired Situated in rural Herefordshire, this ancient stone structure - known as Arthur's Stone in connection with the legendary King Arthur - consists of nine upright stones which support a larger 'capstone' believed to weigh upwards of 25 tons.

Underneath is thought to be some sort of burial chamber, however to date no evidence of remains has ever been discovered at the site, raising questions about who or what was once interred inside.

Recent excavations have indicated that the site was originally home to an earthen mound that pointed to another structure nearby, before being rebuilt and realigned a few hundred years later.

"This is a ceremonial landscape like those around Stonehenge or Avebury, but rather earlier," project leader Julian Thomas from the University of Manchester told Live Science."It certainly implies that this is a location that was politically or spiritually important at the start of the Neolithic."

These days, Arthur's Stone is one of the most recognizable monuments in the English countryside.

Thought to have earned its name from Arthurian folklore, the structure was more recently believed to have been the inspiration behind the stone table in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

It dates back around 5,700 years, long before the alleged time of King Arthur and predating even the generally accepted date of Stonehenge - perhaps the world's most famous Neolithic monument.

Exactly who built it and why, however, remains unclear.

Source: Live Science

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