Archaeologists discover 6th century royal palace linked to King Arthur

A royal palace has been discovered in a British region believed to be the birthplace of the legendary King Arthur, The Telegraph reports. Not only that, but the palace, located in Tintagel in Cornwell, actually dates to the sixth century, when King Arthur was thought to be alive.

"The discovery of high-status buildings — potentially a royal palace complex — at Tintagel is transforming our understanding of the site. We're cutting a small window into the site's history, to guide wider excavations next year. We'll also be gathering samples for analysis. It's when these samples are studied in the laboratory that the fun really starts, and we'll begin to unearth Tintagel's secrets," curator Win Scutt said.

The castle would have been located in the southwest kingdom of Dumnonia; in nearby Chester, earlier research uncovered a Roman amphitheater that some believe was also the site of King Arthur's Camelot.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

So far, researchers have uncovered three-foot-thick walls as well as over 150 pieces of pottery and glass, imported from as far away as western Turkey, at the Tintagel site. Late-Roman amphorae and a Phocaean red-slip ware would also appear to have been brought to the palace from abroad by the wealthy inhabitants.