Worlds of Arthur - Facts and Fictions of the Dark Ages

King Arthur is probably the most famous and certainly the most legendary medieval king. From the early ninth century through the middle ages, to the Arthurian romances of Victorian times, the tales of this legendary figure have blossomed and multiplied. And in more recent times, there has been a continuous stream of books claiming to have discovered the 'facts' about, or to unlock the secret or truth behind, the 'once and future king'. Broadly speaking, there are two Arthurs. On the one hand is the traditional 'historical' Arthur, waging a doomed struggle to save Roman civilization against the relentless Anglo-Saxon tide during the darkest years of the Dark Ages. On the other is the Arthur of myth and legend - accompanied by a host of equally legendary people, places, and stories: Lancelot, Guinevere, Galahad and Gawain, Merlin, Excalibur, the Lady in the Lake, the Sword in the Stone, Camelot, the Round Table. The big problem with all this is that 'King Arthur' might well never have existed. And if he did exist, it is next to impossible to say anything at all about him. As this challenging new look at the Arthur legend makes clear, all books claiming to reveal 'the truth' behind King Arthur can safely be ignored. Not only the 'red herrings' in the abundant pseudo-historical accounts, even the 'historical' Arthur is largely a figment of the imagination: the evidence that we have - whether written or archaeological - is simply incapable of telling us anything detailed about the Britain in which he is supposed to have lived, fought, and died. The truth, as Guy Halsall reveals in this fascinating investigation, is both radically different - and also a good deal more intriguing.

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Guy Halsall, Guy (Professor of History Halsall, Halsall Guy
• Editore: Oxford University Press Trade
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 06.05.2014
• EAN: 9780198700845
• ISBN: 978-0-19-870084-5
• Dimensioni: 137 mm x 217 mm x 25 mm
• Categorie: Saggistica; Scienze umane, arte, musica > Storia > Tematiche generali, enciclopedie; HISTORY / Ancient / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / Middle Ages (449-1066), CE period up to c 1500, British & Irish history, United Kingdom, Great Britain, c 1000 CE to c 1500, Ancient History, Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500, Archaeology by period / region, c 500 to c 1000 CE, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, European history: medieval period, middle ages, HISTORY / Europe / Medieval, C 500 CE To C 1000 CE, Medieval European archaeology