‘King Arthur’s Hall’ is five times older than thought, researchers discover

November 11

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Credit: Historic England

A historic site in Cornwall linked to King Arthur has been found to be 4,000 years older than previously thought after a new survey was carried out by a team of researchers, including experts from the University of St Andrews.

The team, including Dr. Tim Kinnaird from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, carried out a survey of the mound on Bodmin Moor, named King Arthur’s Hall, confirming the site dates back to prehistoric times.

The monument was previously listed as dating back to the medieval period, but it is now believed to date back 4,000 years earlier to the Neolithic period, thanks to a team of specialists from the universities of St Andrews, Reading, and Newcastle.

The site consists of a rectangular bank of earth and stone formed with 56 standing stones, some measuring up to 1.8 m, which are either leaning, recumbent or partially buried. It’s protected by Historic England, which listed it as an early medieval animal pen from around 1000AD. However, there had been some speculation that due to integrated standing stones, the mound was much older.

Dr. Kinnaird and his team used a technique called optically stimulated luminescence, or OSL—the date the mound to the neolithic period making it around 5,500 years old—4,000 years earlier than previously thought. OSL is used to date when sediment was last exposed to light, prior to burial.

Dr. Kinnaird said the findings were a “major revelation.”

“It’s extremely exciting that we’ve finally been able to date construction of this enigmatic monument, previously grounded in myths and legends.”

Cornwall National Landscape’s “A Monumental Improvement” project commissioned the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) to carry out archaeological investigations on the site to define a clear chronology of the monument, understanding its use and relationship in the wider context of the landscape as well as understanding the longer-term conservation needs of the monument.

Dr. Kinnaird said, “The first insight into the construction of the monument came much earlier though. Myself and my colleague Professor Sam Turner from Newcastle University visited the excavations undertaken by the Cornwall Archaeological Unit.

“We were able to demonstrate that the buried soil beneath the bank was disturbed at construction—resetting the luminescence signals, and providing the opportunity to date the monument.

“Given that the monument is now 4,000 years older than first thought, we now need to consider the monument within the context of Bodmin Moor’s prehistoric landscape, and the other structures on the moor that might have been significant at the time.

“This all alludes to a rich Neolithic landscape, evidencing an active community on the Moor, which requires further investigation.”

Provided by
University of St Andrews

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