15. The Roots of the Legend of Arthur, King of the Britons
The Saxons eventually launched a massive invasion that was described by Saint Gildas, a British cleric, who penned De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (“On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain”), circa 510 – 530. From gradual expansion, the Saxon effort – eventually joined in by fellow Germanic tribes the Jutes and Angles – became a war of conquest that aimed to capture all of Britain. As the invaders sought to displace the locals and replace them with Germanic settlers, the hard-pressed Britons found an effective warlord to rally and defend them. Over the years, that figure was morphed into the legend of King Arthur.
Arthur does not appear in any contemporary sources. However, we know that a British war leader, perhaps named Arthur or something close, was active during this period. For example, a sixth century engraving found in Cornwall bears the name of an important figure named “Artognu”. In 2010, Archaeologists found what might have been Arthur’s Round Table at the site of his reputed Camelot. It was not inside a purpose-built castle, but was housed instead in a preexisting structure: a Roman amphitheater in Chester. The Round Table was not a literal piece of furniture, but a vast wood and stone structure that could have allowed up to 1,000 of Arthur’s men to gather. Historians believe noblemen would have sat in the front rows of a circular meeting place, while lower ranked attendees sat on stone benches further back.