King Arthur's round table may have been found by archaeologists in Scotland

The Telegraph ^ | 26 Aug 2011 | Telegraph

[Palter]

Archaeologists searching for King Arthur's round table have found a "circular feature" beneath the historic King's Knot in Stirling.

The King's Knot, a geometrical earthwork in the former royal gardens below Stirling Castle, has been shrouded in mystery for hundreds of years.

Though the Knot as it appears today dates from the 1620s, its flat-topped central mound is thought to be much older.

Writers going back more than six centuries have linked the landmark to the legend of King Arthur.

Archaeologists from Glasgow University, working with the Stirling Local History Society and Stirling Field and Archaeological Society, conducted the first ever non-invasive survey of the site in May and June in a bid to uncover some of its secrets.

Their findings were show there was indeed a round feature on the site that pre-dates the visible earthworks.

Historian John Harrison, chair of the SLHS, who initiated the project, said: "Archaeologists using remote-sensing geophysics, have located remains of a circular ditch and other earth works beneath the King's Knot.

"The finds show that the present mound was created on an older site and throws new light on a tradition that King Arthur's Round Table was located in this vicinity."

Stories have been told about the curious geometrical mound for hundreds of years -- including that it was the Round Table where King Arthur gathered his knights.

Around 1375 the Scots poet John Barbour said that "the round table" was south of Stirling Castle, and in 1478 William of Worcester told how "King Arthur kept the Round Table at Stirling Castle".

Sir David Lindsay, the 16th century Scottish writer, added to the legend in 1529 when he said that Stirling Castle was home of the "Chapell-royall, park, and Tabyll Round".

[piasa]

Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.

Well, at least the legend is not about a strange woman holding a world leader's cigars for him.

[patton]

It looks like a thing (thingvellir).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thing_(assembly)

[Daffynition]

[Daffynition]

Howard Pyle, who is often called "the Father of American Illustration," also began to work in the Brandywine Valley. Pyle established an extraordinarily influential art school in Wilmington and Chadds Ford, where he trained dozens of artists, including major illustrators such as N.C. Wyeth, Harvey Dunn, Jessie Willcox Smith and Frank Schoonover. Pyle and many of his students are represented in the Brandywine River Museum. If you are ever in the Brandywine area, a stop at the charming Brandywine Museum is worth a look; several of Pyle's works are featured. His influence on NC Wyeth is apparent.

[Twotone]

“The oath of the knights of the Round Table.”

Wonderful! Maybe we should make that the Oath of Free Republic - especially the ‘terrible unto the wicked’ part. :-)

[SunkenCiv]

Stirling Castle sidebar:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2282042/posts