The Arthur stone was discovered in 1998 in 6th Century ruins at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, England. Apparently originally used to dedicate some building or other public structure, it was broken down and used as a drain when the original structure was destroyed. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... (5th century — 6th century — 7th century — other centuries) Events The first academy of the east the Academy of Gundeshapur founded in Persia by the Persian Shah Khosrau I. Irish colonists and invaders, the Scots, began migrating to Caledonia (later known as Scotland) Glendalough monastery, Wicklow Ireland founded by St. ... Tintagel Castle is located in Cornwall, England near to Tintagel. ... Cornwall (Cornish: Kernow or occasionally Curnow) is the part of Great Britains south-west peninsula that is west of the River Tamar, often known as the Cornish peninsula or plateau. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion...

Its Latin inscription reads: PATER COLI AVI FICIT ARTOGNOV; the (approximate) translation reading, Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll, has had (this) constructed. The name "Artognou" would be pronounced "Arthnou," a clear derivative of the Celtic name Arthur. Latin is the language that was originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The word Celtic can refer to: the European Celtic people, ancient or modern the Celtic languages, spoken by these people and their modern descendents the Celtic (Lusitania), Celts from the Alentejo. ... Arthur is a common name, believed to possibly be descended from the Roman surname Artorius or the Celtic bear-goddess Artio. ...

Accoridng to Arthurian myth, first recorded by Geoffrey of Monmouth, King Arthur was born and raised at Tintagel Castle. However, the current Tintagel Castle had not been constructed at the time of Geoffrey's writing; something had to have influenced his placing of Arthur's birthplace there. Of further note is the fact that, in his History of the Kings of Britain, Geoffrey lists one of Arthur's relatives as Coel Hen (Old King Cole), likely the same "Coll" listed on the Arthur stone. The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of the British Isles, centering around King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. ... Geoffrey of Monmouth was a clergyman and one of the major figures in the development of British history. ... King Arthur is an important figure in the mythology of Great Britain, where he appears as the ideal of kingship in both war and peace. ... Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniæ (English: The History of the Kings of Britain) was written around 1136. ... A legendary king of Celtic Britain, about all that can be said about Old King Cole with any certainty is that: Old King Cole in an illustration by Maxfield Parrish, 1909. ...

Also found in the 6th Century fort at Tintagel were found numerous remains of expensive pottery, glasswork, and coins from Spain and the Byzantine Empire; it would have had to be a powerful state to have sustained trade with the Mediterranean. Previous to the discovery of the Arthur stone, the fort at Tintagel had been offered as a possible location of Camelot. The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Camelot is the name of the stronghold of the legendary King Arthur, from which he fought many of the battles that made up his life. ...

The "Arthnou" of the stone, while possibly being the powerful ruler of Tintagel and Cornwall and being in the proper timeframe for the "real" Arthur, was almost certainly not him; it is most likely that a single, historical Arthur never existed. However, the memory of Arthnou could certainly have been one a basis for the historical king Arthur. The Dumnonii is the Latin name for a Celtic tribe which emerged in the wake of the Roman withdrawal from England during the 4th century AD. Their territory spanned Somerset, Devon and Cornwall with further holdings in Dorset. ... The existence of King Arthur continues to be hotly debated among medieval historians. ...

External links

• Arthurian Inscription (http://www.britannia.com/history/ebk/articles/artstone.html)
• Tintagel Excavations 1998 (http://www.gla.ac.uk/archaeology/projects/tintagel/ttg4.html)
• "ARTHUR" Stone Discovered at Tintagel (http://www.antiquities.net/stone.htm)