- Paperback: 496 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (31 May 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0141390697
- ISBN-13: 978-0141390697
- Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 14.5 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
276,264 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #50 in Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Anglo-Saxon 500-1000
- #53 in Books > History > Britain & Ireland > Early British & Roman Britain
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
We are all familiar with the legendary tales of King Arthur: the sword in the stone, the Holy Grail, the great deeds and high enchantments. But what evidence is there for a real historical figure beneath the myth and romance? This book assembles a wealth of information about the Arthur of history by delving into the shadowy period of the past in which he lived. Drawing on evidence from both written and archaeological sources, Leslie Alcock, who directed the famous excavation at Cadbury Castle in Somerset, sifts history from fiction to take us back to life between the 4th and 7th centuries, a time of warfare and feuding, when Celtic Britain had shaken off Roman rule and fell victim to floods of raiding Scots, Picts and Anglo-Saxons. He also provides detail on how the Britons lived, worshipped, dressed and fought, to create a vivid picture of the Arthurian age and its warrior hero.
About the Author
Leslie Alcock, OBE, FSA, FRHistS, is Honorary Professorial Research Fellow and former Professor of Archaeology at the University of Glasgow. He is a past President of the Cambrian Archaeological Association and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The history and archaeology of Britain in the 'Dark Ages'; a bit out dated now, but still the best overview of Britain in this popular historical period. Features everything from housing, warfare and society to source material and techniques of archaeological excavation. This book was first written in the 1970s and was updated in 1989, and is written by one of the finest 'Arthurian' historians known.
Arthur's Britain is a far better read than John Morris' Age of Arthur, which takes a less critical use of all available sources (regardless of their value) and presents a rather more unliely scenario for post-Roman Britain.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Over thirty years after it was first compiled, and 15 since it was last updated, Leslie Alcock's Arthur's Britain remains the most useful guide to this popular period of British history.
New discoveries fill in more of the blanks with every passing year, and new theories regarding Arthur and the political situation in post-Roman Britain have emerged since this book was first written, but even so, it still comes highly recommended to anyone wishing for a balanced view of what might have happened. For me, Arthur's Britain still surpasses any other readily-available book on the British early medieval period.
New discoveries fill in more of the blanks with every passing year, and new theories regarding Arthur and the political situation in post-Roman Britain have emerged since this book was first written, but even so, it still comes highly recommended to anyone wishing for a balanced view of what might have happened. For me, Arthur's Britain still surpasses any other readily-available book on the British early medieval period.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
One of the best
8 Sep 2004
Format:Paperback
This is one of the finest popular histories I have ever read. Whether it is a book about 5th and 6th century British history using Arthur as a organizing principle, or a book about the "real" Arthur using 5th and 6th century history as a backdrop, this book is wholly convincing concerning the reality of Arthur and the historical context in which he lived. The book may actually be too good. The most convincing evidence it cites -- the so-called British Easter Annals -- appear to have been called into question by subsequent scholarship; and the link between Arthur and Mount Badon is not quite as convicing as it seeme to be when Alcock wrote the book. In short, this masterpiece needs updating. But a masterpiece it is. No one who reads this book with any care can fail to come away from it without a vastly improved understanding not only of the British dark ages, but of the nature of historical evidence, scholarship, and truth. This is a great book.
After posting my original comments, I would still rate this book a "5." But there has been a lot of "water over the dam" since Alcock wrote, and the book was so good it deserves an update. For example, Sykes wonderful "Saxon, Celt, Viking" does a genetic analysis of Great Britain (the technology was not available when Alcock wrote" demonstrating that about 2/3 of what is now England is "Celtic" by the male line and over 3/4 by the female line. So we know there was not a "Germanic replacement," something Alcock suspected but could not prove. And Alcock himself revised his position somewhat:
"In the 'Mortimer Wheeler Archaeological Lecture', given before the British Academy on 13 October 1982, Professor Alcock makes the following statements, re-assessing his position on Arthur's historical reality: "The Arthur of history is another matter. Whatever value my essay in souce-criticism may have had in 1971 [see above], it has largely been swept away by the studies of Drs Dumville, Miller and the late Kathleen Hughes. Largely, I think, but not entirely; and certainly the debate is too large to enter into here. At present, however, my position on the historicity of Arthur is one of agnosticism". While this is not a full recantation, Alcock certainly steps far back from his earlier position."
After posting my original comments, I would still rate this book a "5." But there has been a lot of "water over the dam" since Alcock wrote, and the book was so good it deserves an update. For example, Sykes wonderful "Saxon, Celt, Viking" does a genetic analysis of Great Britain (the technology was not available when Alcock wrote" demonstrating that about 2/3 of what is now England is "Celtic" by the male line and over 3/4 by the female line. So we know there was not a "Germanic replacement," something Alcock suspected but could not prove. And Alcock himself revised his position somewhat:
"In the 'Mortimer Wheeler Archaeological Lecture', given before the British Academy on 13 October 1982, Professor Alcock makes the following statements, re-assessing his position on Arthur's historical reality: "The Arthur of history is another matter. Whatever value my essay in souce-criticism may have had in 1971 [see above], it has largely been swept away by the studies of Drs Dumville, Miller and the late Kathleen Hughes. Largely, I think, but not entirely; and certainly the debate is too large to enter into here. At present, however, my position on the historicity of Arthur is one of agnosticism". While this is not a full recantation, Alcock certainly steps far back from his earlier position."
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Awesome book to read
8 April 2004
Format:Paperback
I have researched and researched all over the Internet about
King Arthur, Camelot, and his knights. I found many misleading websites that only talked about the fantasies of Camelot and King Arthur. Now, I found this book that tells the "REAL" side of who was King Arthur, Camelot, Merlin, and many others.
It is a "must" for those who want to know the truth, and nothing but the truth. Leslie Alcock has done an excellent job in this book. I highly recommend it.
King Arthur, Camelot, and his knights. I found many misleading websites that only talked about the fantasies of Camelot and King Arthur. Now, I found this book that tells the "REAL" side of who was King Arthur, Camelot, Merlin, and many others.
It is a "must" for those who want to know the truth, and nothing but the truth. Leslie Alcock has done an excellent job in this book. I highly recommend it.
More Arthur information
23 April 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A great read that takes you back to "Arthurian Days" and fills you in on what happened then. As a matter of fact, it also aids writers to tell their stories by using some of the history as well. Highly recommended.
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