Most people are familiar with tales of Camelot, Merlin, Excalibur, The Knights of The Round Table, and of course King Arthur. The majority of people dismiss these as legends, however of those that do not some work tirelessly to discover the truth and origins of the myths. Others study the influence of the historical and fictional Arthurs in the hopes of discovering just how important him and his stories are. While the King Arthur of Legend is most certainly a product of fiction, one cannot deny that he has had a great influence on literature and the minds of readers.
One of the first things that come to mind when talking about King Arthur is his castle and home, Camelot. Arthur was not always said to hold court in Camelot, before the twelfth century, when Camelot was introduced, he was said to do so in Caerleon. Camelot, though a late addition is the most common place for Arthur's court, was described as being in southern England, some claim it to be present day Cadbury Castle in Somerset. Over time Camelot has come to stand for more than just the home of Arthur and his knights, but in addition the values that they represented like honor, truth, and justice (Lupack).
Within the walls of Camelot is the fabled Round Table. Depending on which telling one reads the iconic table was either a wedding gift or was given to
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The latest evidence from these is from A.D. 830 (Green). The Camelot Research Committee was founded in 1965 to perform many of the archeological digs with the hopes of finding Camelot's ruins. In Somerset "a massive sub-Roman rampart, a cruciform church, and an aisle hall with Mediterranean pottery" (McAdams) was found which led them to believe that Arthur may have actually been real (McAdams). In Glastonbury a cross was found claiming the occupant of a grave was King Arthur by mons in 1191. While this seems like solid proof it was later proved to be a fake