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Thuy Anh Le Mrs. Garza English II 1st period October 3, 2013 Camelot a historical discovery or a human inner peace searching? Curiosity about the existence of the legendary Camelot has been increasing from generation to generation. Camelot is the mystery city appearing in many literary works as a home place of the Great Britain King Arthur. It reminds us of a time full of glory, victory, and prosperity in human history. Research has been done, time after time, in all places possible but there has not been any official answer until now. Evidence has revealed that one of the prime candidates for the real Camelots location is Cadbury Hill! Cadbury Hill is silently located in a place which seems to be forgotten by the power of time, old Britain. It is most well-known to visitors for the connection with Camelot, which was first pointed out by John Leland, author of The Assertion (CAMELOT). Cadbury is also attractive for its incredible size and design (CAMELOT). In The Once and Future King by T.H. White, Camelot is where the legendary Arthur grows and rules. At the beginning of the story, he courageously stays in the forest with Cully and then accidentally goes on a quest for his tutor Merlyn. This detail, along with knightly tournaments, quests, and wars indicates that Camelot must have been a spacious city filled with plenty of forests. Cadbury Hills location is one of the origins for the question whether it is the real Camelot. It is nearby the village Camel, moreover, local people call it Camallate or Camalat, which sounds very similar to Camelot in English (Cadbury Castle). We all know that Arthur is The Once and Future King, who is believed to one day rise again. This is parallel to their local

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tradition about Arthurs death. They say Arthur is sleeping in a cavern underneath the hill and waiting for his resurrection when his country needs him the most. On the other hand, I think not only Britain, but everyone has been waiting for a king to come and rule this chaotic world again. In addition to the size of the real Camelot, a timber hall on the plateau and a gate house on the southwest entrance were built around 460 470 AD and spanned hundreds of yards(Cadbury Castle). Cadbury is unique all around Britain. Cadbury did not seem to be a castle but a heavily fortified headquarters for some great kings (An Archeological Quest). It was large enough to hold an entire army (An Archeological Quest). This is similar to the popular Round Table of King Arthur having 150 knights. The era of King Arthur is 367 734 AD. As they analyze its construction, they realize it is too late for post Roman. It is more convincing to say Cadbury belonged to King Arthur who was powerful and wise enough to build a strong army to occupy and unite all the neighboring kingdoms (Archeological Quest). The battle of Bedegraine, fought in a new way, showed that Arthur was a genius and a talented leader. Large amounts of physical evidence found in Cadbury imply the Dark Age period of King Arthur. Mary Harfield, who is an amateur archaeologist, made a discovery in the 1950s around Cadbury Hill. She found some potsherds dated to 6th century, which is considered to be from King Arthurs time (Pinsky). The excavations in the 1960s and 1970s showed that Cadbury used to be under a wealthy king due to an importation with foreign oil and wine that The Camelot Research Committee uncovered (Pinsky). There are still remains of a refortifying tree wall in the late 5th to 6th century (Pinsky). Furthermore, the great security, constructions, and fortifications were done by skilled workers so the king should have been rich enough to afford the employment.

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Excavations, evidence, uniqueness, and terrain all support King Arthurs Camelot in The Once and Future King book. Cadbury is likely to be the true Camelot. However, it may be just the boundless human imagination. People have been searching relentlessly for an answer. I believe that Camelot is nowhere in particular, but it can be anywhere that freedom, loyalty, and justice exist. The beauty of literature allows us to draw a detailed illustration for human visual dream. No matter what, Camelot has successfully taken us into the heaven of magic and mysteries beyond limitations. Works Cited An Archeological Quest for the real King Arthur. Uiweb.uidaho.edu. n.p., n.d.. Web. 18 Sep. 2013. <http://uiweb.uidaho.edu/student_orgs/arthurian_legend/england/arch>. Cadbury Castle (Camelot?). The History Files. Kessler Associates, 2013. Web. 18 Sep. 2013. <http://www.historyfiles.co.uk/KingListsBritain/BritainCadbury.htm>. CAMELOT.Bcs.edu. n.p., n.d.. Web. 18 Sep. 2013. <http://orgs.bcs.edu/arthur/arthurlife.html>. Pinsky, Randy. An Archaeological Endeavour to Locate the Mythical City of Camelot. Pseudoarchaeology.org. Pseudoarchaeology Research Archive (PARA), 2007. Web. 17 Sep. 2013. <http://pseudoarchaeology.org/b02/b02-pinsky.htm>.