Tintagel Castle - History and Photos

It is rumored, and many believe, that King Arthur was born at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, England.  The castle ruins that exist today are on a triangular promontory that thrusts out into the Atlantic Ocean, and can be reached by steep stairways cut into the cliffs.  More than 20 stone buildings have been identified that date from the Dark Ages. A large amount of 5th and 6th century pottery from the Mediterranean has been found here.  Those include massive oil jars from Tunisia, Aegean amphorae, jars from the Byzantine Empire, and dishes imported from Carthage.
   The ruins that we see today are from the castle was was built in the 1230s by Richard, Earl of Cornwall and Count of Poitou, second son of King John.  There are, of course, many stories of the area being used as a fortress throughout the ages.  It was definitely an important trading center during the Roman occupation of Britain, and after.
   In 1998, a 6th century stone slab was uncovered at Tintagel, bearing the inscription "Pater coli avi fecit Artognov", meaning Artognou, father of a descendant of Coll, has had this built.  The name Artognou was probably pronounced Arthnou.  Some study seems to indicate that that "Arth" was a Dark Ages prefix added to the name of a ruler.  This merely confirms there was a wealthy person here in the 6th century with a name similar to Arthur.  It does not prove that a King Arthur lived at Tintagel, but it is, and was, a tantalizing find....

The gateway to Tintagel