The Mysterious Stone Tomb in the West of England, known as Arthur’s Stone due to its connection with the legendary King Arthur, dates back nearly 6,000 years as part of a complex “ritual landscape” throughout the area.
Excavations this year near the ancient stone structure in the Herefordshire countryside, just east of the Wye River between England and Wales, indicate that this site was previously a pathway leading to an ancient structure, according to Julian Thomas, the project leader and an archaeology professor at the University of Manchester in England.
Arthur’s Stone monument is believed to be older than the ancient site of Stonehenge.
Thomas stated: “This is a ceremonial complex similar to the areas around Stonehenge or Avebury, but it certainly implies that this was an important site politically or spiritually during the early Neolithic period.”
The Arthur’s Stone Monument
Arthur’s Stone consists of 9 standing stones that support a “massive stone” weighing over 25 tons. An underground passage leads to what is believed to be a burial chamber, although no remains have been found there.
The structure is named by locals after the legend of King Arthur, who is said to have resisted the Saxon invasion of England around 1,500 years ago.
Excavations revealed that the first mound at the Arthur’s Stone site was the “Hall of the Dead”, which Thomas’s teams discovered on a hillside more than 910 meters away in 2013.
“The Hall of the Dead” originally consisted of large wooden structures that were later destroyed by fire and replaced with three mounds. Remains of similar wooden structures have been found at Neolithic cemeteries across Europe.
Archaeologists believe that the first burial at this site was constructed about 5,700 years ago and aligns with nearby graves known as “Hall of the Dead.”
Arthur’s Stone is now one of the most remarkable and famous Neolithic monuments in England. Several local legends connect it to King Arthur. However, it likely predates his era by several millennia, and most historians agree that Arthur probably did not exist.
King Arthur is a legendary figure in medieval Europe. Insights about King Arthur are largely derived from folklore, and whether he actually existed in history remains a contentious issue among modern historians. According to history and medieval chivalric tales, King Arthur led Britain’s defense against the Saxon invasion in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. In various Welsh and Breton legends and poetry, King Arthur is portrayed as a great warrior defending England from human enemies and supernatural forces. In the 21st century, the legend of this king continues to thrive, not only in literature but also in adaptations for theater, films, television, comics, and other media. |
