British Forts in the Age of Arthur

British Forts in the Age of Arthur PDF

Author: Angus Konstam

Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Published: 2008-11-18

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781846033629

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When the Romans left Britain around AD 410 the island had not been fully subjugated. In the Celtic fringes the unconquered native peoples were presented with the opportunity to pillage what remained of Roman Britain. By way of response the Post-Roman Britons did their best to defend themselves from attack, and to preserve what they could of the systems left behind by the Romans. The best way to defend their territory was to create fortifications. While some old Roman forts were maintained, the Post-Roman Britons also created new strongholds, or re-occupied some of the long-abandoned hill-forts first built by their ancestors before the coming of the Romans. Packed with photographs, diagrams and full color artwork reconstructions, this book provides a unique examination of the design and development of the fortifications during the Age of Arthur, analyzing their day-to-day use and their effectiveness in battle. It closely describes the locations that are linked to the most famous warlord of the Dark Ages, the legendary Arthur - Tintagel, Cadbury and "Camelot". Although these great bastions were to eventually fall, for a few brief decades they succeeded in stemming the tide of invasion and in doing so safeguarding the culture and civilization of Post-Roman Celtic Britain.

Britain in the Age of Arthur

Britain in the Age of Arthur PDF

Author: Ilkka Syvänne

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2020-02-19

Total Pages: 415

ISBN-13: 1473895227

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“[The] well known historian . . . attempts to find the elusive King Arthur through a study of the military of the period following the Fall of Rome.” —Firetrench King Arthur is one of the most controversial topics of early British history. Are the legends based on a real historical figure or pure mythological invention? Ilkka Syvänne’s study breaks new ground, adopting a novel approach to the sources by starting with the assumption that Arthur existed and that Geoffrey of Monmouth’s account has preserved details of his career that are based on real events. He then interprets these by using “common sense” and the perspective of a specialist in late Roman military history to form a probable picture of what really happened during the period (roughly AD 400-550). This approach allows the author to test the entire literary evidence for the existence of Arthur to see if the supposed events of his career match what is known of the events of the period, the conclusion being that in general they do. Arthur’s military career is set in the context of the wider military history of Britain and Europe in this period and along the way describes the nature of armies and warfare of the period. “Anything about Arthur is worth a read in my opinion, and this is a great addition to the growing body of work on the mythical King.” —Books Monthly

Strongholds of the Picts

Strongholds of the Picts PDF

Author: Angus Konstam

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2013-02-20

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 1472801660

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When the Romans withdrew from Britain, the north of the country was ruled by the most mysterious of the ancient British races, the Picts. Much of what is known about these “painted” warriors, comes from the remains of the fortifications that they left scattered around Scotland. Although the Picts are famous as sea raiders, they were also subjected to attacks from a number of opponents. To their south, the Romano-British reoccupied the abandoned Roman fortifications and hired Saxon mercenaries to strike against the Picts. Meanwhile, from the west a new group, the Scoti, attacked from Ireland. This book covers the fortification of the ancient Picts in all their conflicts and discusses the importance of these sites as religious centres and seats of power, while using the latest archeological evidence to help unravel the mystery of this ancient race.

The Age of Arthur

The Age of Arthur PDF

Author: John Morris

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 665

ISBN-13: 9780297813750

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The classic work on the Arthurian era and its fundamental role in the birth of Britain today.

The Quest For Arthur's Britain

The Quest For Arthur's Britain PDF

Author:

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Published: 1987-01-01

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 0897332873

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The legend of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table dominates the mythology of Britain, but could this story prove more fact than fiction? Recent archaeological findings have lead Geoffrey Ashe to believe there is more truth to Arthurian legend than previously accepted. The Quest for Arthur's Britain examines the historical foundation of the Arthurian tradition, and presents the remarkable results of excavations to date at Cadbury (reputed site of Camelot), Tintagel, Glastonbury and many places known almost exclusively to Arthurian scholars.

Fortifications in Wessex c. 800–1066

Fortifications in Wessex c. 800–1066 PDF

Author: Ryan Lavelle

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-10-20

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 178200551X

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The defence of the 9th-century kingdom of Wessex under King Alfred against the 'Great Viking Army' is one of the major military achievements of Early Medieval history. While the guerrilla warfare in the Somerset marshes and the battle of Edington are characteristic of Alfred's military abilities, his definitive physical achievement was a series of some 30 well-structured fortifications (known as burhs) across the kingdom. Many of these fortifications survive to this day and some were even reinforced to stand up to German tanks in the expected invasion of 1940. This title describes their beginnings in the turbulent early years of Alfred's reign as well as their subsequent development and use.

Arthur

Arthur PDF

Author: Don Carleton

Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited

Published: 2018-10-15

Total Pages: 406

ISBN-13: 1445682583

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Credible new research sheds new life on the real life and identity of King Arthur, the legendary king of ancient Britain.